A Parents Secret Gift
by EvilDaystar
Summary: What if Harry's parents had put in place a few contingency plans for Harry's future. How different would his life have been in the magical world then? Harry Potter first year AU story with some Albus Dumbledore perspective every now and again.
1. Prelude: Interesting Times

Author's Notes: I have received a few reviews talking about mistakes in names and so on. Thank you for pointing these out. I'm currently working on a dictionary for Harry Potter for OpenOffice so hopefuly these mistakes won't be repeated in the sequel.

And here is the requisite disclaimer. You know what they say: A disclaimer a day keeps the lawyers away.

My Car: Mine ... actually, the banks.  
My Computer: Mine.  
My copy of the hitchiker's guide to the galaxy: Mine.  
Harry Potter: Not mine. All JK's

* * *

Prelude – May you live in interesting times. 

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, First Class, and Grand Sorcerer; Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards; Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Also famous for defeating the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945 and discovering the twelve uses of dragon blood sat at his desk in his office and frowned.

This was not a usual occurrence since the man was rather jolly; had a taste for sweets; a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and if rumors were to be believed, was slightly insane even if he did prefer the term eccentric.

The reason for Dumbledore's consternation was the letter he had just read.

His phoenix Fawkes, trilled a inquiring tune.

"Yes, old friend. This is quite disturbing news."

This day had started like every other summer, term preparation day. The headmaster was still in his perennial quest to fill the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position. That position had not been held by a single professor for more than one year in over 30 years. The applicants for the position were rather weak since most qualified instructors considered, and rightfully so, the position to be cursed. It would be easier to fill the position of Care of Magical Creatures teacher than the Defense position. The headmaster was re-reading the application of one Quirinus Quirrell, slightly amused at the alliteration in the name, when a post owl flew into the office from the single window overlooking the grounds.

The letter it carried was rather upsetting but the tone of the letter was offset by what looked like an ice cream stain.

The aged headmaster and his familiar sat in silence for a time, the headmaster contemplating the letter and the phoenix contemplating whatever it is that immortal avians contemplate.

Suddenly there came a knock on his office door.

"Come in Minerva, come in." He said before the person on the other side could announce themselves.

"One of these days Albus I will discover how you do that." replied Minerva McGonagall as she opened the door. She was carrying a letter and looked more than a little flustered.

"Ah Minerva, I see that you received one as well." He said pointing to the letter she was carrying.

Before she had a chance to reply, the fireplace burst into emerald flames and a head poked out of the flames.

"Albus, are you there?" came a male voice from somewhere at ground level.

"Alastor, this is quite a surprise! Come on through old friend." replied the headmaster.

A few moments later a heavily scarred man sporting a wooden leg and a roving electric blue eye came through the fireplace.

"Albus you'll never ... oh! Hello Minerva, I didn't see you there." This comment left both professors speechless as Alastor Moody's favorite phrase was "constant vigilance" and his eye could see through all types of matter. For the paranoid ex-auror to not notice someone in a room he had just entered was unheard of.

"What brings you here Alastor?" replied the headmaster once he had recovered from his initial surprise.

"Why you'll never guess who sent me a letter is all." Replied the grizzled old man.

But before he could mention a name a knock came at the door.

"That would be Hagrid." Said the both the headmaster and the old Auror simultaneously, sharing a grin.

"Let me guess Hagrid, you have received a shocking letter this morning?" Asked the aged headmaster a twinkle in his eyes and a smile coming to his lips. He leaned back into his chair, took out a small pouch, drew a small yellow sphere from it, popped it into his mouth and asked "Lemon drop anyone?"

This was going to be an interesting day.


	2. Chapter 1: The Secret Chest

Chapter 1 – The Secret Chest

Harry Potter sat down amidst the dusty boxes of Christmas decorations and rolls of left over carpet from the last renovations that the Dursleys had done. The nearly eleven year old boy was very tired. His aunt Petunia, his mother's sister, had had him cleaning the attic for two days straight. The task in itself was not really unpleasant but the conditions were. The attic was warm and poorly ventilated and so the warm summer air felt stifling and oppressive.

Harry knew better than to argue or to even suggest that they throw away some of the things in here. Honestly, Harry found much of it quite interesting but knew that the Dursleys would never use any of it.

An old record player with ancient looking records; boxes pilled full with old clothes that would make smashing costumes to play pirates or detective with; old linen that was starting to be a little moth eaten that could be turned into a million different things from grand circus tents to ghost costumes ... the possibilities were endless with the imagination of a ten year old. And there lay the crux of the problem ... imagination.

The Dursleys did not approve of anything they viewed as different and made sure that Harry was very much aware of this fact. Nowhere in the house could there be found a single fantasy novel, no bed time fairy-tales were told in this house. It, of course, did not help that strange and different things kept happening around Harry. He remembered sadly the last "incident" that had resulted in him now cleaning the attic.

Harry had been tending the his aunt's rosebushes. Well they were more his rosebushes really since his aunt had not put a single second of work on them other than to pick out the seeds and tell Harry were to plant them. Harry had been tending the bushes, they were quite magnificent and he was quite proud of them, this was one chore he did not mind doing since he considered the bushes to be his anyways. His cousin Dudley Dursley, a whale of a boy with the disposition and intellect of a gorilla, decided to have a bit of fun, the next thing Harry knew he was thrown a good two feet into the bushes, leaving his back scratched by the heavy thorns of the rose bushes who were flattened by his weight.

"My ROSES!" Cried aunt Petunia from the kitchen door.

Harry's uncle, Vernon Dursley, came running from the living room to see what the problem was. At the sight of Harry bleeding slightly from his numerous scratches, he had a great difficulty hiding his apparent humor at Harry's suffering.

"Boy! How dare you go about destroying your aunts beautiful garden! Must have been running around the garden like the fool he is. You will put her bushes to right or I swear, it will be no supper for you tonight."

Harry extricated himself from the bushes, looked in rage at his smirking cousin and prepared to start fixing the damage his pig of a cousin had done to HIS bushes but before he could turn around, he noticed Dudley's face change from malicious victory to dumbfounded incomprehension.

"What ... what is the meaning of this BOY!" His uncle whispered angrily to him his face turning a dark puce color in his rage. Harry turned around to the bushes to find them in perfect shape, not a single pedal was out of place. In fact, if Harry did not know any better, he would say the bush looked in even better shape than it had even this morning.

"I ... I don't know uncle Vernon." replied Harry in an awed and hesitant voice. He really did have no idea why strange things happened around him but he knew that whatever it was, Harry was about to be punished for it.

"Cupboard ... now ... no supper ..." replied his uncle, looking as if he was about to have a stroke.

As promised, Harry did not receive any supper that evening and upon waking up the next morning he found that the bushes were gone and only the dug up earth remained as proof that they had ever been there at all.

And that is how Harry found himself among the discarded relics of Dursleys past, exhausted from moving heavy boxes and covered in dirt, dust and grime. Harry stood up and started looking around the attic again, trying to figure out what to do next when out of the corner of his eye he saw a strange trunk. He hadn't really noticed that trunk there before. It was a battered old traveling trunk with three locks and in one of the locks was a key. Feeling strangely drawn to it, Harry approached it slowly sat on his knees in front of it and pondered.

Pondered is a rather heavy word when one considers the mental prowess of a normal ten year old boy but Harry, as we have already established, was not a normal ten year old boy. Many people would wonder what there is to ponder, just be done with it and open the confounded thing. Harry had much to ponder, the most important thing to consider being "Would I get in trouble for opening it?" closely followed by "Would I get in trouble for NOT opening it?" weighty matters indeed.

Thankfully the nearly ten years of life with the Dursley's had yet to completely squash out the young boys sense of adventure and he opened the trunk ... which is a good thing for us or this story would be rather repetitive (see the original works by J.K Rowling).

Harry grabbed the cast iron key in the left hand lock and turned it. To his amazement the lid opened on it's own and without him needing to open the other locks. The trunk appeared to be filled with ... books. To most almost-eleven year olds this would be a tremendous disappointment but as has been mentioned before Harry was not like most children. But the books were not what drew Harry's eye at first but the thick yellowed envelope sitting on top of the books. An envelope with his name on it.


	3. Chapter 2: Letters from the past

Chapter 2 – Letters from the past.

_**August 22, 1981**_

_**Dearest Harry,**_

_**If you are reading this then things have gone terribly, terribly wrong.**_

Here the handwriting changed to a nicer, cleaner script.

_Let me try and start this letter. Introductions are in order. I'm your mother Lily Evans-Potter and the insensitive, melodramatic prat who started the letter is your father James Potter. First of all you might be wondering what a trunk with a letter addressed to you in it is doing at your aunt Petunias._

_I don't know how much you already know but if you are at Petunias I'll have to assume you know next to nothing._

Harry was slightly insulted at this. He was not ignorant after all. He did well in school or he would but his aunt and uncle would punish him if he did much better than their ikkle Dudleykins.

Here the handwriting changes back to the messy scrawl of James's writing.

_**Well, let's start with the basics then. Harry, your a wizard ... pick up your jaw from the floor there son. Ok now that that shock is out of the way I can try to explain some of it to you.**_

_**There is a whole world out there hidden from view of the Muggles ... err non-magic folk like Petunia and Vernon. In this hidden world live wizards and creatures from fantasy like dragons, elves (house-elves actually), centaurs, unicorns, ghosts, vampires and so on so forth. Your mother and I belong to this world and so do you.**_

The handwriting changes back to the nice neat script of Lily.

_Now, you might be thinking that this is some sick twisted joke but think about it for a second. Have you ever done anything strange, anything unexplainable. I'm pretty sure you did since, as I am writing this, I just saw you summon Prongs from across the room._

_**Of course we have other proof here to both help you come to grips with this and to help you integrate into the wizarding world. One of these things is the trunk in which you found this letter. You may have noticed that it has three locks. Each of those locks opens a different compartment of the trunk, each the size of the trunk itself. If that's not a proof of magic then I don't know what is.**_

Lily apparently struggled to take the pen away from her husband at this point as there are small ink splatters on the parchment.

_Also in the envelope you found this letter in you probably found an amulet. This amulet is a magical item that your father and I made for you in case you ended up here at Petunias. We know how her husband views magic and if you ended up there then you probably don't know much about the wizarding world._

_Hopefully by now we have convinced you that magic is real and we can start with the personal information._

_I want to start by saying that we love you Harry, we love you dearly. And we regret that we can't be there with you. I don't know what Petunia told you about us but I'll explain why we made this trunk, and a few others, and hopefully that might answer some of your questions or at least direct you in the right direction to ask the proper questions._

_When you were born, the wizarding world was at war. A dark wizard by the name of Lord Voldermort had started a campaign of death and destruction that has lasted over a decade already since he started sometime around 1970. Your father works as an Auror, a kind of special forces police officer and he and I had joined a group of friends as part of an underground coalition that ... _

Here the pen was apparently taken from Lily.

_**Your mom is going into too much detail here son so I'll simplify it. She forgets that you would only be ten when reading this letter for the first time.**_

_**Like your mom said, there was this dark wizard called Lord Voldermort trying to conquer the wizarding world. It was a dark time and there were those, like us who opposed him. We annoyed him once too many times and he decided to put a price on our heads so we went into hiding. There is more to it than that but none of it is safe to put in a letter.**_

_**Now seeing how we were targeted by this dark wizard, your mom and I decided to put some backup plans into effect in case something happened to us and you survived. The fact that you ended up at Petunias means that things must have gone very, very wrong.**_

_We hid ourselves under the most powerful hiding spell we could find. It is called the Fidelius charm. _

_An immensely complex spell involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find -- unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. Only HE may tell others were it is located and if you were not told then you cannot even see it. It is as if it does not exist at all. _

_**And again, quoted straight from a book.**_

_Peter (a school friend of your fathers) was our secret keeper and if we have died than that means that he is dead as well. In all likelihood, Voldermort found us and killed us._

_We had quite a few friends and Petunia was pretty much at the bottom of this list as far as legal guardians went. We made this trunk along with a handful of others so that you would have something to remember us by and this was also a way for us to tell you how much we love you. Also, in the case of the trunk at Petunias, it was a way to ensure that you were not totally unaware of your heritage._

_The amulet your father and I made is a kind of teacher or tutor. It contains most of our knowledge. Unfortunately I let your dad work on the personality. But if you want to learn something it will make it much easier. All you have to do is grasp it in your hand, close you eyes and in your mind ask it for information. It might sometimes butt-in tell you things on it's own as well. Hopefully it will help you learn faster and in non serious situations, it will allow you to have easy access to information about our world._

James seemed to have had enough waiting and started writing with another pen as the ink was a different color.

_**HAHA! I have trumped your mothers iron grip on this letter by bringing in my own quill. And they called her the smartest witch in her year!**_

_**Now, let's get on to the fun stuff. Why you found this trunk a few days before your eleventh birthday. Well for starters I think it makes a great birthday gift and I got to start this letter off with a classic line. Then there is the fact that within the next couple of days you should be receiving a letter from our old school, Hogwarts. We set asides plenty of money for you to be able to go to school and to help whoever raised you pay for your cost of living. Since you are with Petunia, we have to assume that they don't know about the money and that it has been accumulating tons of interest over the years. You should have quite a small fortune over at Gringots.**_

_**This money is meant for you to go to school and to have fun with so I wouldn't mention it to the Dursley's unless they have been REALLY good with you but unless they have had a major change of heart ... There should be a lot more when you reach the age of majority at seventeen and come into the full Potter Estate Inheritance so do try and enjoy what you have access to but don't forget that it needs to last you seven years.**_

There was apparently another struggle for dominance over the parchment as could be seen by large splotches of various inks.

_Your father still hasn't explained why we know that you are now almost eleven and why you never found the trunk before. I enchanted it so that your aunt, uncle and cousin or cousins would not notice it and also so that you would be pulled to it a few days before you should be receiving your letter from Hogwarts._

_Now, you may have some trouble with Petunia and Vernon. They don't like our world much and might try to stop you so we have put everything in this trunk that you need to get the help needed to go to Hogwarts._

_In a small leather pouch, you will find coins of various size and metals. The gold ones are called Galleons, the silver ones are Sickles and the bronze ones are Knuts. This is wizard money. You have twenty-six Galleons, twelve Sickles and twenty Knuts or about one hundred and thirty pounds worth here depending on the exchange rate._

_Also within the trunk you will find a small wooden box. Inside this box is a wand. Now you SHOULD NOT do magic yet as you are untrained and there is a restriction on magic done by under-aged wizards such as yourself. You will be getting your own wand later. This wand is meant for two things. One to call the Knight Bus and two to open the secret passage to Diagon Alley._

_The Knight Bus is a triple-decker, violently purple bus which has The Knight Bus written over its windshield in gold letters. The Knight Bus provides emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard; all they need to do is hold out their wand hand. _

_The fare from Little Whinging to London should be around eleven sickles.  
_

_**There she goes again quoting straight from a pamphlet or book.**_

_**I strongly suggest that you go on an empty stomach as the Knight bus could be unfavorably compared to a muggle roller coaster.**_

_Diagon Alley is a magical marketplace hidden within London, you access it from a pub called "The Leaky Cauldron". You exit the pub by the back door. This will lead you to a dead end alley. Take your wand and tap the brick three up and two across three times and the way will open for you._

_**You HAVE to try Butterbeer it's just one of the best drinks in the world!**_

_**Now is the time to implement plan "Harry goes to Hogwarts!".**_

Here, the letter was covered with small stick figure diagrams. The stick figures were moving in a loop exemplifying the steps to be taken.

_**1- You wait for your letter. Once you have it you keep it hidden.**_

A stick figure was sneaking towards a door with a mail flap, taking a letter from the ground and hiding it behind a painting.

_**2- After you receive your letter you will take the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley where you will write your acceptance letter. We use owls to send mail so if you are looking for the post office in Diagon Alley, just follow the owls.**_

The stick figure stuck out it's hand and a massive triple decker bus appeared out of nowhere.

_**3- You will write a letter to each of the following people asking for help in case your aunt and uncle try to stop you from going. You will write a letter to each of these people in case they are no longer around. At least one of them should still be alive.**_

_**Albus Dumbledore -Headmaster of Hogwarts.**_

_**Margaret Watson – Your mothers best friend and your godmother.**_

_**Sirius Black - An old school friend of ours and your godfather.**_

_**Peter Pettigrew - An old school friend of ours.**_

_**Remus Lupin – An old school friend of ours.**_

_**Minerva McGonagall – Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts and your mothers favorite teacher.**_

_**Alastor Moody - My boss at the Ministry of Magic.**_

**_Rubeus Hagrid – Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Also an old friend._**

_**Molly and Arthur Weasley – Old friends. They have quite a few children already. Their latest, number six I think, is a boy your age called Ronald.**_

_**Alice and Frank Longbottom – Old friends as well. They have a son your age called Neville.**_

_**Mundungus Fletcher – Your mother would rather you did not contact him since he is a bit "shady" but he would know who to get in touch with if need be.  
Gideon Prewett – Acquaintance of ours and brother to Molly Weasley.**_

_**Fabian Prewett - Acquaintance of ours and brother to Molly Weasley.**_

Each of the names had a small face drawn next to it apparently representing the people Harry was to contact. All of them were human except for Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Next to their names were small yet detailed drawings of animals, a rat, and two large dogs. The animals chased each other around the names.

_**4- You will show your Hogwarts letter to Petunia and Vernon. By then it will be too late for them to do anything and if they try to stop you one of the people we mentioned before would be able to help you.**_

Here a stick figure was doing a small victory dance in front of a tall woman and a short fat man who were obviously very annoyed.

_Now, the hardest part of this plan is getting you out of the house. Your father unfortunately left his invisibility cloak with Albus but if you take after your father at all you will know how to sneak around without being caught. Him and his friends were quite good at that._

_I hate sending you alone in London at your age but we don't have much of a choice unless Petunia has changed how she felt about our world. Try and be carefully my little one._

_**If you don't get a letter from Hogwarts, don't try to go to Diagon Alley on your own. We don't know how safe it would be for you. If you haven't received a letter by your birthday then use what we have left you in this trunk to teach yourself magic. If you haven't received a letter by then, then it may mean that Voldermort has won and is in control of the Wizarding world.**_

_Well, we could keep writing to you in this letter but that would waste all the hard work we did on the journals we have included in this trunk. And since this is the fourth such letter we write tonight, we are starting to get a little tired._

_Just know Harry that we wish with all our heart that we could be with you and that we love you very much._

_**Hopefully were all together in the living room here at Godric's Hollow or at Potter Manor laughing at these letters but if not then at least we left you something to remember us by.**_

_**A wise man once told me "You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us?". Albus told me this after my parents, your grandparents, died. Whenever you need us son, just think of us and remember that we are there with you always. And know that wherever we are you are there with us, in our hearts.**_

_Albus also was very fond of the following saying. "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.". Don't forget us but don't lose yourself too much in our journals and forget to live your own life._

_Love,_

_Your mother, Lily_

_**Your father, James**_


	4. Chapter 3: Power of the Pendant

Chapter 3 – Power of the Pendant.

Later that night Harry lay on his cot in the cupboard under the stairs re-reading the letter from his parents. He had not dared take any of the journals with him for fear of his relatives seeing them but he had managed to smuggle the letter, the amulet and the wand.

It was still early in the evening and his aunt and uncle had yet to go to bed so he refrained from trying the amulet yet. He did not know how it worked and it would not do at all to have his relatives walk in on him while he was using it ... if it even worked.

The amulet was beautiful, the chain was made of a silver looking metal. It was thin yet strong, the amulet was a small red gem of some kind set in a simple silvery oval setting. On the back of the amulet was engraved a stag over a small flower, a Lily, and along the edge were strange symbols.

The wand on the other hand appeared to be a simple stick. Eleven inches of some pale white wood tapering at the end. A small leather wrap had been done at the larger end. It looked a little worn and the leather wrap was somewhat damaged. When Harry had taken hold of the wand something strange had happened. A few red sparks had shot from it's end. Obviously, this WAS a magic wand but Harry did not know if the sparks were a good thing or a bad thing. He would find that out in a few hours if the amulet actually did what it was supposed to.

Putting the amulet, letter and wand away in a safe place, Harry sat on his bed and pondered once again. This time his thoughts were not on the ire of the Dursleys as previous but on what had been revealed to him in the trunk. He was a wizard, it was mind boggling. All these years he had been told that his parents had died in a car crash. His father WAS a secret agent type of person as he had daydreamed all these years. Harry laid back and waited for the Dursleys to go to bed.

After a time, the television was turned off and uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia could be heard trudging up the stairs. Uncle Vernon's heavier steps went into the bathroom while aunt Petunias moved on to the bedroom. The sounds of water running eventually died and uncle Vernon finally went to bed. After waiting for what appeared to be an eternity but was in fact only ten minutes to insure that his relatives would be asleep Harry took out the amulet, set the chain about his neck, held the pendant tightly in his right hand, closed his eyes and thought at the pendant.

'Tell me about wands.'

Harry heard someone harrumphed close by and looked around in a panic.

'Well, that's not very polite. No hello or any introductions of any kind. Straight to the point.'

"Uhm, Hello?"

'Well, better late than never I guess.' The voice sounded exasperated. 'Good day master Potter, my name is Silias and I am to be your guide on your journey in the magical world and beyond.'

Harry realized that the voice was actually in his head and so figured that thinking to it would probably work.

'Oh! Well hello. I'm Harry, Harry Potter.'

'Yes, I'm quite aware of this as I was designed solely for your use. Now I believe you had an inquiry of some kind?'

'Yes. I wanted to know about wands.'

'Well, that's a bit general now isn't it? Do you have anything specific you would like to know or should I just start rambling on and on about wands?'

Harry was starting to wonder how he was ever supposed to learn anything from this amulet if it always acted like this.

'Well, I don't know anything about wands at all so can we start with the basics then?'

'Ah! That's much better. Now I have a point of reference to work from.' the voice sounded exhilarated with the task ahead and it continued in a well practiced and professional voice. 'Most magic is done using a wand. It is possible to cast spells without using a wand, but for most wizards results are unfocused. Wands are created from wood with some magical substance at its heart. Wands are classified by means of four characteristics: length, type of wood, quality of motion when waved, and type of magical ingredient. Although there is no specific rule about which kind of wood a person's wand should be, some wands are particularly well suited to their owners.'

To say that Harry was impressed would have been an understatement. The amulet sounded quite like it knew what it was talking about.

'Silias, what can you tell me about yourself?'

'Ah! I see that you do have some manners after all. Good, good. Well, your father gave me a male personality seeing that you would need some type of role model in your life. I like American Jazz music and quiet evenings by the fire. My favorite team is the Montrose Magpies.'

And Harry was back to wondering at the sanity of the amulet he was conversing with which brought him to second guessing his own sanity.

'That's very interesting. Unfortunately my relatives don't like music much and they boarded up the fireplace to put an electric fireplace.'

'Oh! Pity. Well we might be able to remedy that with time.

'Can you tell me more about you? Like what you can and can't do and how your going to help me and what I need to do to make sure your well taken care of?'

Here the amulet sounded very pleased.

'Well as you can tell I am a magical amulet of great power. I was created by your parents in the hopes that I could act as a teacher and guide for you in the wizarding world if ever anything were to happen to them and you found yourself at your aunts home. I hold within me the combined knowledge of both your parents. Apparently they created me using a variation of the portrait making spell that wizards use. Upon the death of a wizard, an imprint of his personality is imbued into a portrait and they can move and interact with people. Your parents decided that I would be of greater use than a copy of their portrait. I'll advise you when you need it and teach you what I can. Your mother was very keen on something called subliminal learning and so if you keep me on at night, I'll teach you all kinds of things while you sleep. Now I may have your parents knowledge but not their wisdom. Your father made me more to be a companion for you and while I may have bits of advice on what you should do, I am to mostly let you make your own decisions with little or no input. You have to learn by doing things yourself as well. Another one of my limitations is that I don't know anything that has happened in the last eleven years as I was locked inside that trunk. I also never, for lack of a better word, met your parents. I came into full cognizance after their death as their knowledge imprinted itself in me.'

'Oh.'

Harry felt a little disappointed at this. He had hoped that he would be able to learn more about his parents. The amulet seemed to have guessed what he was thinking.

'Don't worry master Potter. You have journals I believe and you will meet people that knew them personally. It will help you interact with others in the world and to make friends. I'm only a tool after all, I'm not much of a friend.'

'Right.'

'Is there anything else you would like to learn? We can start now and if you keep me on tonight I can continue your education while you sleep.'

'How does that work exactly. You said something about sureminal learning?'

The voice gave a small chuckle.

'That's Subliminal Learning master Potter. There are two concepts often bundled together as subliminal learning. Aldous Huxley created his vision of a brainwashed population in the novel Brave New World. In this futuristic tale, the Government planted suggestions into the heads of all its sleeping children. This is actually referred to as Sleep Learning or Hypnopedia. Subliminal learning, on the other hand, occurs when individuals are influenced by a stimulus they are unaware of, like words played back below the threshold of hearing or images flashed on screen faster than the eye can perceive. Subliminal learning is real and the brain is capable of learning without consciously focused attention.'

'Uhm, I don't understand.'

Silias gave a mental sigh and continued in a patient voice.

'I'll read to you while you are sleeping. Since I am in your mind the information will be absorbed by your subconscious mind since your conscious mind is, for all intents and purposes, off line and you will learn what I am reading to you. This is called Sleep Learning or Hypnopedia. We may also try actual subliminal learning. While you are awake, I will whisper things into your mind, not loud enough for you to, for lack of a better word, hear but enough for your subconscious mind to notice and it will learn for you.'

'Oh, ok. So it'll be like I'm studying all the time then but I won't be aware of it all the time.'

'Exactly master Potter. I can also actively tutor you when you need it. The Conscious Mind is better equipped for information retention but Subliminal Learning and Hypnopedia basically doubles or even triples the time you have access to for learning.'

'I think I understand now. Thanks.'

'Good, good. Now what would you like to start with?'

'I don't know. I don't know anything about the magical world. What should I start with?'

'I'll start you with first year transfiguration then.'

Harry let Silias's voice fill his mind. But the teaching was not limited only to voices but also images.

Harry lay back on his bed and started learning about Transfiguration and eventually fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 4: Plan Harry goes to Hogwarts

Plan – Harry goes to Hogwarts.

"Up! Get up! Now!"

Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.

"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. Dreams of turning animals into goblets, matches into needles and many other strange effects. Of course considering that he had been, for lack of a better word, reading about transfiguration before falling asleep, he was not particularly surprised.

Things fell into a pattern for Harry. He would act normally during the day while wishing for time to go faster so he could return to his cupboard and use the amulet to learn more about the magical world. Every night he would read the letter from his parents until he could recall every detail clearly in his mind. He was very tempted to try and smuggle some of the diaries from the trunk in the attic but in the end decided it was not worth the risk. He would wait for his letter from Hogwarts first.

One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's, his old babysitter. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her many cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years. Mrs. Figg was nice enough alright but her house smelled of boiled cabbage and she usually spent most of their time together talking about her various cats.

That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh and Silias was not making this any easier.

'Who devised that nightmarish getup? Orange knickerbockers? Maroon tailcoats? A boater? Honestly, if the color scheme were not bad enough. Knickerbockers were popular in the 1920's. We're in the 80's for Merlin's sake get with the times. Who designed this travesty, Roald Dahl? And who in their right mind would give a ruffian like him a solid oak walking stick?'

Harry had to quickly excuse himself before he broke down in front of his relatives.

At breakfast the next day, they heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat. Harry restrained himself from running to the door. It would look too suspicious if he did. Instead he knew that he would be forced to get the mail anyways. Hopefully his letter would be there this time.

"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.

"Make Harry get it."

"Get the mail, Harry."

"Make Dudley get it." replied Harry knowing perfectly well that this would guarantee that he would be forced to get the mail.

"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."

Harry dodged the Smelting stick, that Dudley had taken to carrying everywhere with him, and went to get the mail. How predictable were his uncle and cousin. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and -- a letter for Harry.

Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. Other than the letter in the trunk, no one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives -- he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:

Mr. H. Potter

The Cupboard under the Stairs

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey

The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.

Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.

The letter had finally arrived. He was one step closer to going to Hogwarts.

"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.

On his way to the kitchen Harry quickly threw his letter into his cupboard and went back to breakfast trying VERY hard to suppress his feelings of joy so that his relatives did not get suspicious. Tomorrow morning he would initiate step two of the "Harry goes to Hogwarts" plan.

When September came he would be going off to Hogwarts and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley.

Finally evening came and as usual Harry waited for his relatives to go to bed. This time he did not go for his amulet but instead opened the letter from Hogwarts. He ripped the envelope open instead of breaking the beautiful wax seal and slowly pulled the letter out.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

'We await your owl?' thought Harry to himself. 'How are muggle born witches and wizards supposed to send an owl? You would think that they would send someone over to explain things to their parents and accept the letter in person. Good thing my parents were magical and left me instructions on how to get to Diagon Alley or else I would never be able to go to Hogwarts.'

'Actually, they send someone to meet muggleborn witches and wizards. I believe you may be an oversight since your parents were both a witch and wizard.'

'Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore. At least I know that they are still alive.' Harry thought to himself.

Harry unfolded a second piece of paper and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

wand

cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set

glass or crystal phials

telescope set

brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

All of a sudden harry was glad that he had a magical trunk in the attic. He would need the space for all of that equipment.

'First years are not allowed their own broomsticks? Why would I want a broomstick?' perplexed Harry hid his letters, and took hold of Silias.

'Ah, you would like to know about broomsticks? Let me tell you about a little game called Quidditch.'

That night his dreams were filled with broomsticks and the joys of flying. Apparently either his mother or father were avid flying and Quidditch fans because there was a wealth of knowledge on both subjects within the pendant.

Harry knew that he would enjoy this aspect of the wizarding world greatly.

The next morning, Harry awoke much earlier than usual. The sun had barely started to rise. He quickly gathered his supplies. The money pouch, the amulet, the wand and his parents letter and prepared to leave his cupboard.

Everything in the house was very silent. Dudley would certainly not be waking up for another few hours and this being a week-end, uncle Vernon would not be getting up much earlier. Aunt Petunia on the other hand could very well be awake at this time having a cuppa in the kitchen.

Harry quietly opened his cupboard door, gathered his possessions and walked slowly to the front door. Sillias started humming something that sounded quite remarkably like the Mission Impossible theme song. Unlocking the door he quietly opened it, stepped outside and closed it. He had done it, he was outside and on his way to London or he would be as soon as he summoned the Knight Bus.

Running down the street Harry turned onto Magnolia Crescent to insure that his relatives would not see him. He quickly scanned the street. If anyone had been looking at him, they would have thought he was a simple boy up to some minor mischief. What would happen next would have been more interesting.

Harry took out his wand from his back pocket, walked up to the curb and stuck out his hand ... and nothing happened. After a few minutes, still nothing happened. Disappointed and wondering what to do Harry turned away from the street. Just as he took his first step away from the curb a loud BANG made him jump into the bushes of the property in front of him.

From the dubious safety of the bushes, Harry scanned the street. Right there in front of where he had been standing only a few moments ago stood a violently purple triple decker bus. It looked just as his mother had described it.

"Sorry we're late. But we 'ad an emergency delivery down in Kent."

The voice belonged to a young pimple faced boy. The boy could not have been more than 14 or 15. He wore a conductors uniform that shared it's coloring with the bus itself. On the uniform was a silver name tag with the name 'Stan Shunpike' engraved upon it.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this morn --"

The conductor stopped abruptly. He had just caught sight of Harry, who was half hidden in the bushes.

"What were you doin' in them bushes?" said Stan, dropping his professional manner.

"Well ... it's my first time calling the Knight Bus. I didn't know it made so much noise when it got here. And when you didn't get here right away I assumed I had done something wrong and had turned around to go home so you appeared behind me. I got scared and jumped for cover." replied a slightly embarrassed Harry.

Harry saw Stan's eyes move to the scar on his forehead.

"Woss that on your 'ead?" said Stan abruptly.

"A scar. I've had it for as long as I can remember. Why?"

"Woss your name?" Stan Persisted.

At this Harry remembered that his parents had been hunted by an evil wizard so he quickly decided to use another name just to be safe.

"James Evans" making up a composite name of his parents names.

"So -- so this bus," he went on quickly, hoping to distract Stan, "did you say it goes anywhere?"

"Yep," said Stan proudly, "anywhere you like, long's it's on land. Can't do nuffink underwater. 'Ere," he said, looking suspicious again. "You did flag us down, dincha? Stuck out your wand 'and, dincha?"

"Yes," said Harry quickly. "Listen, how much would it be to get to London?"

"Eleven Sickles," said Stan, "but for fifteen you get 'or chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot water bottle an' a toofbrush in the color of your choice."

Harry took out his money pouch from under his shirt. He had heard on television that leaving money in your pockets in London was the best way to have your money stolen so he wore his money pouch around his neck and under his shirt. Harry took one Galleon and gave it to Stan.

Stan took another good look at Harry.

"You be a might youn' to be takin the Knight Bus on you own. Where are your folks then?"

Harry had to think fast about that one. He hadn't thought about the fact that being so young and un-accompanied would attract attention.

"Yeah, well. I've always looked young for my age. I'm actually starting my second year at Hogwarts. I managed to convince my parents to let me go shop for my things on my own in Diagon Alley this year. My parents are going to apparate to the Leaky Cauldron later and join me for lunch."

Harry thanked his parents again for the gift of the medallion. He had been looking into the different modes of transportation that wizards used and that information was coming in right handy.

The young conductor then guided him into the magical bus.

There were no seats; instead, half a dozen brass bedsteads stood beside the curtained windows. Candles were in brackets beside each bed. The sun filtered through the windows and drapes illuminating the wood-paneled walls.

"You 'ave this one," Stan whispered, shoving Harry's trunk under the bed right behind the driver, who was sitting in an armchair in front of the steering wheel. "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is James Evans, Ern. "

Ernie Prang, an elderly wizard wearing very thick glasses, nodded to Harry, who sat down on his bed.

"Take 'er away, Ern," said Stan, sitting down in the armchair next to Ernie's.

There was another tremendous BANG, and the next moment Harry found himself flat on his bed, thrown backward by the speed of the Knight Bus.

Pulling himself up, Harry stared out of the window and saw that they were now bowling along a completely different street. Stan was watching Harry's stunned face with great enjoyment.

"This is where we was before you flagged us down," he said. "somewhere around Kent."

"How come the Muggles don't hear the bus?" said Harry.

"Them!" said Stan contemptuously. "Don' listen properly, do they? Don' look properly either. Never notice nuffink, they don'."

Harry was still looking out of the window, feeling increasingly nervous.

Ernie didn't seem to have mastered the use of a steering wheel. The Knight Bus kept mounting the pavement, but it didn't hit anything; lines of lampposts, mailboxes, and trash cans jumped out of its way as it approached and back into position once it had passed.

His father had been right. The Knight Bus could be unfavorably compared to a roller coaster. Or at least Harry thought so from what he had seen on the telly seeing as he had never been to an amusement park in his life.

The Knight Bus rolled through the early morning light, scattering bushes and wastebaskets, telephone booths and trees. After a while, Stan remembered that Harry had paid for hot chocolate, but poured it all over Harry's pillow when the bus moved abruptly from Anglesea to Aberdeen. One by one, wizards and witches descended from the upper floors to leave the bus. They all looked very pleased to go.

Finally, Harry was the only passenger left.

"Right then, James," said Stan, clapping his hands, where abouts in London?"

"Diagon Alley," said Harry.

"Righto," said Stan. "'Old tight, then."

BANG.

They were thundering along Charing Cross Road. Harry sat up and watched buildings and benches squeezing themselves out of the Knight Bus's way. He seemed to remember a song that mentioned visiting London and spending all their time on Charing Cross Road shinning bars with the sleeves of their coats ... whatever that meant.

Ern slammed on the brakes and the Knight Bus skidded to a halt in front of a small and shabby- looking pub, the Leaky Cauldron, behind which lay the magical entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Thanks," Harry said to Ern.

He jumped down the steps.

"Well," said Harry. "'Bye then!"


	6. Chapter 5: Cauldron and Alley

The Leaky Cauldron & Diagon Alley

It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he could see it.

For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut.

Trying to be inconspicuous, Harry quietly made his way to the back of the pub. He very much wanted to sit here and, as his father had suggested, try a bottle of butterbeer but he needed to get his plans out of the way first. Maybe he would spend a bit of time here after he was done in the alley.

Making it to the dead end alley behind the pub, Harry took out his wand and tapped the bricks in the order his mother had indicated in the letter. The sight that greeted him left him bereft of his senses.

The brick he had touched quivered -- it wriggled -- in the middle, a small hole appeared -- it grew wider and wider -- a second later he was facing a large archway, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.

He stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.

The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons -- All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver – Self-Stirring -- Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.

Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their

shopping.

A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium -- Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...

The sound of owls brought Harry back to his senses. He had a mission. He could gawk at all the wonderful things in the alley later when he was done.

After a brief search Harry found a book shop. Bought himself an inkwell of color changing ink, a quill and a large stack of parchment. He also bought some sealing wax and had a simple seal in the shape of the engraving behind his amulet made by the man behind the counter.

With a simple flick of his wand, the man changed one of the normal seals in his inventory into a passable facsimile of the engraving on Silias.

On his way to the post office, Harry had noticed an ice-cream shop called Florean Fortescu's. He decided that this would be as good a place to write up his letter as any.

"Good day sir."

"Good day young man, what can I do for you on this fine morning?" The wizards eyes did a strange flick up to Harry's scar and then back down to the young wizards face.

"Well sir, I have quite a few letters to write this morning and I was wondering if you would mind greatly if I set myself up here. I'll of course be buying some food and drinks but it may take me quite some time to finish up." Harry knew that many businesses did not like loiterers and he was hoping to avoid attention by being polite and asking ahead of time.

"Don't worry lad. Just grab that table over there in that booth in the corner and take all the time you need. I'm the proud owner of this fine eating establishment Fortean Fortescu himself." the wizard declared proudly, pointedly waiting for Harry to introduce himself.

'Manners Master Potter, manners.' came Silias's voice.

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Har ... I mean James Evans."

The mans convivial attitude and kind demeanor had put Harry off his guard and he had almost blurted out his real name.

"Well, welcome to my shop young master Evans. Just grab a seat and I'll be right over with some menus."

Harry sat down and started thinking about the letters he needed to write. Another problem he had was that he had never written with a quill before and was at a loss as to how they worked.

"So master Evans, never worked with a quill before I see. Don't worry. I see a lot of muggleborns struggling with it the first time. Here, let me show you how it works."

After about five minutes under Mr. Fortescu's tutelage, Harry was able to write fairly well and so started with his first letter, to Albus Dumbledore.

Mr. Fortescu had a small breakfast menu and so Harry ordered himself some breakfast and a milkshake. The plate that arrived at Harry's table would have been enough to feed three people ... or one growing teen which was convenient since that was exactly what Harry was.

The letters took a better part of the morning to write and Harry found himself having lunch at the ice cream shop as well. Of course the letters would have been done much faster had Harry not been distracted every time that the proprietor performed some minor feat of magic. Again, his meal was fit for a king and two o'clock found Harry still nibbling on the left overs. He had just finished writing his last letter to Fabian Prewett, signing it with a flourish.

The content of the letters had caused Harry a great deal of trouble. He had never sent a letter to anyone and until he yesterday he had never received a letter himself. Add to that the fact that he did not know any of the people he was writing to. It made things rather difficult. He was afraid of sounding whinny. Why should these strangers care about the the son of people who had died over a decade ago?

Looking around the busy shop, Harry saw families eating ice cream together, laughing. A mother was gently rubbing a child's back in small circles as the tyke slept on her shoulder. Would his mother have done that for him? Would his father have taken him to the Quidditch shop to look at the new broomsticks?

Harry shook himself from these painful thoughts. He had dreamed many times of what life would have been like with his parents instead of his aunt and uncle.

'But dreams are only that, dreams and nothing else.'

His life was looking up but there some things that could never be.

Harry quickly thanked Mr. Fortescu for his hospitality, settled his bill and made his way back to the post office. He had to be quick. Writing the letters had taken much longer than he had anticipated and he had to hurry to be on time for supper at the Dursleys. Not that he would be able to eat a single bite after all the food he had had during the day but if he came in too late there would be Hell to pay. As it was now Harry had skived off all his chores so there would already be Hell to pay.

Quickly exiting the Leaky Cauldron, butterbeer would have to wait for another visit, Harry called the Knight Bus and this time it appeared promptly.

The conductors and drivers this time were a younger witch and wizard combo. Both of them probably in their thirties.

Harry climbed on board without a fuss, stated his destination and asked to be awakened on arrival. Even with the abrupt movement of the bus, Harry was so exhausted from all the excitement and stress of the day that he quickly fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 6: Letters to Dumbledore

HARRY's LETTER TO DUMBLEDORE

July 26, 1991

Professor Albus Dumbledore  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

You don't know me but apparently you knew my parents. My parents died a long time ago, when I was around one year old. I now live with my aunt and uncle neither of them being magical, actually they are the reason why I have sent you this letter. I have just received the letter from your school asking me if I would like to join. I would be really happy to attend Hogwarts but I think that my aunt and uncle would object.

My aunt and uncle never told me about the magical world or even how my parents died. My parents apparently put aside money so that I could come to school so I don't need help with money but I may need help with coming to school when my aunt and uncle try to stop me.

I know all this information about you and the magical world not because my aunt and uncle told me but because I found a trunk my parents had hidden here with a letter for me telling me what I should do to get to Hogwarts. My parents speak of you very highly and I hope that you will be able to help me.

I really want to leave here.

I can't wait to see Hogwarts.

Harry James Potter

The headmasters office was filled with concerned adults. Nearly every one of them had received a letter similar to the one that the headmaster had just read and all of them were very concerned.

Arabella Figg, the only person in the room to not have received a letter from Harry Potter, spoke up.

"I've been telling you for years Albus that the Dursleys have been neglecting him. You should see the clothes they have him in. He only has his cousins old hand-me-downs and his cousin is about three times his size. And that's another thing, the poor dear is all skin and bones while his cousin is bordering on the morbidly obese. I don't think they are feeding him that well. Just a few days ago I gave him a piece of cake that was a little stale when they dropped him off at my place while they went shopping for Dudley and he eat it like he had never had chocolate cake in his life."

Angry mutterings could be heard from a plump, red-headed woman in the corner. The tall, thin ab baling, red-headed man next to her trying to keep her calm. Everyone knew that to Molly Weasley nothing was more important than a proper meal and love, for a child.

"Well, the poor boy can just come and move in with us then Albus. One more won't make a difference at the Burrow." Molly told the aged headmaster, a look of determination on her face.

"I am sorry Molly but we cannot do that and you know why."

The room fell into silence once more. The eight other adults contemplating their letter for what seemed to be the twentieth time.

A quiet and sick looking man in his thirties looked at the headmaster. His exterior, the perfect picture of calm but his eyes held a fury barely contained.

"Someone needs to go look into this situation Albus, the letters hint too strongly of abuse or at the very least of neglect. Lily and James will never forgive me for allowing you to send him to the Dursleys."

"Now, now Remus. It was the safest place I could send him. You know very well what the situation was like after Voldermort's defeat. And you know that the ministry would never have allowed you custody of the boy."

Most of the adult wizards in the room shudder at the mention of the name. All but the headmaster and Remus Lupin.

"He had to write to us in secret so that he could come to school. He was never told of his heritage. How do you think he managed to get all these letters to us! He certainly does not have an owl! He must have gone to Diagon Alley on his own! He's ten years old and going from Surey to London on his own! Anything could have happened to him on the way there Albus! How is that safe!"

By now, the mans grip on the chairs armrests was so tight that the wood had amazingly started splintering. Very few people had ever seen Remus Lupin lose his temper before and especially at Albus Dumbledore. Again, the room fell into silence for a time. After a few moments, Fawkes thrilled a short song and the aura of gloom that had permeated the headmasters office was lifted.

At that moment the fire in the headmasters grate flared green and the head of Florean Fortescu appeared.

"Professor? Are you there?" asked the jovial proprietor.

"Florean I have not been your transfiguration professor for nearly three decades. Please call me Albus."

"I was wondering if I could come on through. I have a bit of, well, rather startling information to share with you and I think you will want to hear of it right now." Mr. Fortescu's face shone with glee at the thought of finally being able to put one on the all knowing, all seeing Albus Dumbledore.

The headmasters eyes started twinkling madly with mirth. He knew exactly what this was concerning and in the interest of maintaining his image as an eccentric but all knowing wizard ...

"This would not by any chance have something to do with a certain Harry Potter having ice cream at your parlor while writing some letters by any chance?"

"I don't know how you do it proffes ... I mean Albus but yes."

"Then come on through. We were just discussing the situation and maybe you can shed some light on this."

A few moments later found Mr. Fortescu sitting on the arm of Hagrid's chair/sofa. The headmasters office was really not meant for such large gatherings.

"Now Mr. Fortescu, if you could enlighten us."

"Well, I was getting ready for the morning traffic when this young lad walks in to my shop carrying an armload of parchment, a brand new quill and inkwell. Polite as could be he asks me if I mind him sticking around my shop as he has a large amount of letters to write."

At this the rest of the wizards in the room quickly took a look at their letters.

"Ah! I see where they went then. But he wrote more letters than there are people here, wonder who else he wrote to." He quickly commented.

"Anyhow, the poor boy was dressed in these horribly worn clothes that looked like they were made for someone three times his size. Not exactly how I would expect The-Boy-Who-Lived to be dressed but I did recognize his scar."

"When I asked him his name to confirm I was right he told me he was called James Evans."

At this Remus Lupin let out a loud laugh which was quickly followed by an approving murmur from Alastor Moody.

"Good head on the boy. Trying to go incognito. He should have hidden his scar. It's too well known but I see potential there anyways."

The rest of the wizards in the room shook their heads or rolled their eyes at Alastor Moodys incredible paranoia.

"Alastor, he may not know that he is famous." the headmaster pointed out.

"Then why bother changing his name?" queried Mr. Weasley.

"At the moment I can only venture a guess. Mr. Potter may know what the wizarding world was like at the end of the war and being unsure of the current political climate has decided to play it safe. He may not know that his scar is famous or even how he obtained it."

The adults sat in silence pondering this hypothesis for a time.

"Anyways, as I was saying." started Mr. Flortescu.

"The poor boy was badly dressed, all skin and bones so when he ordered breakfast and then later lunch I made sure it was a triple helping. The boy looked like he could use some fattening up."

This brought a murmur of appreciation from Mrs. Weasley.

"I showed him how to use a quill, hid him in a corner booth and kept an eye on him all day. Every time I did magic he would stop working and stare longingly at my wand. At one point when he thought I was not looking he took out an old battered wand, swished it and some red sparks came out the end."

This information stirred the group up quite a bit.

"Where did he get a wand?" asked Mrs. Figg

"I hope he didn't steal it." came the worried reply from Remus Lupin.

"Again, this is something we will have to determine once we speak with Mr. Potter. Please continue Mr. Fortescu." interceded the headmaster.

"Well, there isn't really anything more than that. The boy went to the post office, sealed his letters with a small seal he took out of the money pouch he had at his neck". This again brought a look of approval from Alastor Moody. "then he rushed out of the Cauldron, called the Knight Bus and disappeared. I came right over here after closing shop for the evening."

This last bit of information had been most interesting for the adults present.

"So he knew how to call the Knight Bus, had a money pouch ..." Remus Lupin turned his envelope quickly over to look at the seal.

"... had a seal with Lily and James's mark on it. It looks like Lily and James must have left him a care package at Petunia's before they died."

"I'll go and look in on 'im headmaster. Seein' how I was the one who brought 'im there ta start with." said a giant of a man sitting on a couch, as if it were a single chair, in the back of the room.

The headmaster looked on to his "Keeper of Keys" with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

"I believe Hagrid that that would be a brilliant idea. You can then accompany young mister Potter to Diagon Alley to do some shopping while I have a discussion with his relatives. Petunia appears to have forgotten our agreement and I believe she and her husband need a small reminder."


	8. Chapter 7: An official visit

An official visit.

The return to Private Drive was as bad as Harry had feared. The Dursley's were apoplectic. Harry was told that he would not have any supper and that he would only be let out of his cupboard for his chores for the rest of the week.

Considering his relatives emotional state, Harry decided that maybe now was not a good time to tell them about Hogwarts.

Of course, being locked up in his cupboard gave Harry more time with his amulet. He took the time to look up information on potions next seeing how it would most likely have many similarities with either chemistry or cooking.

His dreams that night were filled with images of boiling cauldrons.

Harry awoke early to the sounds of the doorbell ringing.

"Who in their right mind would be visiting this early?" came the annoyed voice of Vernon Dursley from the staircase. His heavy steps causing dust and spiders to fall on Harry's bed.

"Mr. Vernon Dursley?" A calm and polite voice could be heard from the door.

"Look whatever it is your selling we aren't interested! It's bloody well six-thirty in the morning and me and my wife were still asleep."

This was the most Harry had ever heard Vernon Dursley say before having four cups of strong coffee in the morning.

"Well Mr. Dursley, I am not selling anything. My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, amongst other things. I am sure that your lovely wife, Petunia, has mentioned me before."

The hallway was blanketed in dead silence.

Harry could not believe what he had just heard. Albus Dumbledore was here, now, at Private Drive, talking to his Uncle Vernon who for some odd reason appeared to have lost all ability to speak.

After a few seconds of silence. The headmaster decided to continue on with the conversation.

"Yes well, I am here to discuss Mr. Harry Potters education with you and to have a few words with mister Potter himself. Would it be possible to speak with him?"

Harry was now pressed to the door of his cupboard and quietly pushed the it a little at the bottom so he could see what was happening at the front door. The headmaster was dressed quite smartly in a three piece suit his long beard neatly trimmed and combed. A pleasant and calm expression on his face his eyes twinkling madly in apparent enjoyment of the discomfort he was causing the Dursley patriarch. That is until his eyes quickly flicked to the door of the cupboard under the stairs where Harry was locked in. The headmasters eyes met Harry's and the twinkling stopped. The smile slowly faded from his face.

"I believe I will await Mr. Potter in the living room while you go fetch him Mr. Dursley. Please do not be alarmed when you return. I will have an associate of mine here with me."

With this the headmaster strode purposefully into the living room and Vernon Dursley slowly turned towards the cupboard his mouth silently going up and down like a goldfish out of water. The elder Dursley male slowly made his way to Harry's cupboard, opened the door and looked in at the boy. His face going from dumbfounded incomprehension to incredible rage within seconds.

"Boy!" he whispered, spittle flying from his mouth.

"I know you had something to do with this. You disappear for a day and the next thing I know these freaks appear at my doorstep. I don't know how you found out about your parents or about that ruddy school but this is far from over. Now your going to go and talk to that Dumbledorf fellow and your going to tell him that you don't want to go to his freak school. Then you and I are going to have a long talk."

At this Vernon backed away from the cupboard door and pointed Harry towards the living room.

Harry nervously entered the living room and stopped and stared at the headmasters 'associate'.

A giant of a man was sitting on the couch in the Dursleys impeccable living room. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.

The man was simply too big to be allowed. He sat on the love seat as if it were a single chair.

The giant man turned to look at them all.

Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.

"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."

Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.

"Who are you?" asked a rather nervous Harry.

The giant chuckled.

"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.

A slight chuckle came from Vernon's favorite 'reading' chair, not that any reading ever happened there.

"And I would be Albus Dumbledore, Mr. Potter. Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, amongst other things." The headmasters kind blue eyes were twinkling madly again.

"Now Mr. Dursley. I was wondering if it would be possible for us to have a brief word with Mr. Potter while you awaken your wife. My discussion with Mr. Potter will be short and then my associate here, Mr. Rubeus Hagrid, will take young Mr. Potter shopping for his school supplies."

"He's not going," Vernon Dursley said.

Hagrid grunted.

"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.

"He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS! We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"

Hagrid was about to stand. A look of fury on his face.

At this the headmaster spoke up.

"You will find that you swore to something very different Mr. Dursley. Now if you would just go an fetch your wife we may get this all sorted out."

If Vernon Dursley was not cowed by Hagrid he certainly was by the feeling of power rolling off the headmaster and quickly beat a hasty retreat to his bedroom.

"Now that that is settled Mr. Potter, I do have a few questions to ask. If you do not mind answering them." Harry simply nodded in response, a little cowed by the power he had felt from the headmaster.

"Mr. Potter, how did you ever manage to send us these letters? We have managed to come up with a little bit of information. For starters you appear to have much information about the wizarding world for someone who has been raised by muggles. You knew the names of many of your parents close friends and associates, you are in possession of a wand and some wizarding money. Could you explain to us how you came about all this?"

And so Harry went on to explain about the secret trunk in the attic and the letter his parents had left him. He did leave out one piece of information. He kept the amulet his parents had made him secret.

"Most interesting. Your parents were quite brilliant if I do say so myself. May I have a look at this letter Mr. Potter?" asked the aged headmaster.

And there it was, there was no way he could keep Silias secret now. Harry was not sure why he wanted to keep the secret of the amulet but it seemed important to him. Harry went to his cupboard and fetched his envelope of letters from under his bed.

Returning to the living room he handed it to the headmaster.

"Your mother was always very good at charms. It appears she has placed some type of privacy charm on this rather lengthy letter Mr. Potter. I cannot read it. Why don't you give us the general gist of it then if you would."

And so Harry found himself summarizing the letter. Both the headmaster and his Keeper of Keys laughed as Harry described how his parents fought for control of the letter and at the 'Harry Goes to Hogwarts' plan and the little animated diagrams that accompanied it.

"Tha' be so like Lily and James. Theys were always arguing like tha'." Hagrid was wiping away tears of laughter.

"Yes, that explains much of what has happened over the last few days. Now Mr. Potter, now is the time to make plans for your future education. I gather from your letters that you wish to attend Hogwarts?"

"Yes, but uncle Vernon told me to tell you I'm not interested. He was really angry when you went into the living room."

"Stop Lily an' James Potter' s son goin' ter Hogwarts! He's mad. Yer name's been down ever since you was born. You're off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and you won't know yourself. You'll be with youngsters of your own sort, fer a change, an' you'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled--"

"Now Hagrid, you know how I feel about all this praise you keep giving me. Now Mr. Potter I will send you off with Hagrid here back to Diagon Alley to do some shopping for school supplies while I discuss your future education with you relatives. Everything will be sorted out by the time you return this evening. Hagrid will accompany you to your room to get your things and then you can be off."

Harry was excited. It did seem like he would be going to Hogwarts. He took the giant's hand, or rather one of his fingers, and dragged him towards his cupboard. Hagrid started climbing the steps but stopped when he realized that Harry was not going upstairs but going for the cupboard under the stairs.

"What yeh doing there 'Arry?" asked the kindly keeper of keys.

"I'm getting my things out of my room. Give me one second while I get changed."

Hagrid just stood there for a second with a look of incomprehension on his face.

"But tha' there be a broom cupboard Harry." replied Hagrid still not understanding what was happening.

"Well yes, it's my cupboard. It's where I live."

"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh ..." Hagrid's voice trailed off into silence.

Just then Vernon and Petunia Dursley came down the stairs. Hagrid stared at the Dursleys, his face contorting in rage as he looked from the cupboard back to the Dursleys. The Dursleys on the other hand became a lighter shade of white as they realized that this monstrous man had discovered where they kept the boy.

"I'm ready sir." said Harry as he came out of his cupboard holding his wand and a money pouch.

Harry took in the scene before him. The tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

Hagrid looked on to his charge for the day as if he was about to cry.

"Well, we best be goin'. The headmaster will sort these two out. Off ta Diagon Alley with us then."

They stepped outside into to early morning light.

"Sir?"

"Call me Hagrid 'Arry, everybody else does."

"Hagrid then, how are we getting to Diagon Alley?"

"Thought we could take the Knight Bus seein' how you already took it yesterday."

Harry stepped up to the curb and called up the Knight Bus as he had the previous morning.

With a loud BANG. The giant triple decker bus appeared and a weary Stan Shunpike appeared out of the door.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this morn --"

The conductor stopped abruptly. He had just caught sight of Hagrid.

"Oy Hagrid! What ya up to in these parts?"

"Just takin' youn' 'Arry 'ere to Diagon Alley to do his first year shoppin for Hogwarts."

Stan looked at Harry.

"You got the wrong bloke then Hagrid. This here is James Evans a second year. He 'as 'is wand an everythin'. I know, I met em meself yesterday."

Harry started getting rather embarrassed by this conversation.

"Well, unfortunately I lied to you yesterday Stan. My name is really Harry Potter. I had just discov--" but Harry never had the chance to finish what he was saying as Stan's face changed from confusion to gleeful recognition.

Stan shouted, "Blimey! Ern, come 'ere! Come 'ere I"

"I knew it!" Stan shouted gleefully. "Ern! Ern! Guess 'oo 'James Evans' is, Ern! 'E's 'Arry Potter! I can see 'is scar!"


	9. Chapter 8: Diagon Alley Redux

Diagon Alley - Redux

Finally Harry and Hagrid were seated on the Knight Bus on their way to Diagon Alley.

Harry was rather confused by Stans reaction to his name.

"Hagrid? Why did Stan say he recognized my scar?"

"Ah, 'Arry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh -- but someone's gotta -- yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."

"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh -- mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..."

He sat down, stared out of the window for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with -- with a person called -- but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows --"

And so Hagrid explained to Harry about Voldermort, filling in his personal history of the last elevel years.

The story was very painful for Harry. He had already guessed that his parent's had died at Voldermorts hands based on the letter his parents had left him but having it confirmed was a bit much for him to take. Hagrid's own emotions did little to calm Harry's own raw emotions.

After about twenty minutes of silence Hagrid spoke up again, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Ya sure impressed 'lot o' people with yer letters yesterday 'Arry. You 'ad a small army of people in tha headmasters office trying ta figure out how you managed ta get them letters ta us all."

"Old Mad-Eye was right impressed with yer decision ta use a fake name. But then again old Mad-Eye is a bit paranoid."

"Who's Mad-Eye Hagrid?"

"Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody. One of the most feared aurors in the past thirty years. He's called Mad-Eye on account of his magical prosthetic eye."

"I didn't mean to cause a fuss. I hope no one is angry with me."

"Nah, your letter got a lot of people worried for ya, that's why the headmaster and I decided to come over and visit with ya. And a good thing it was we did I think."

A few more minutes passed in companionable silence.

"So what are we doing first Hagrid?"

"Well we should go to Gringots and get ya some gold. Then off ta Ollivander's to get ya a proper wand."

"After tha' I guess we go to Madame Malkins for robes, followed by Flourish and Blots for yer books and quills and the likes, then the apothecary for potions."

"And once that's all done?"

"Well then we can just go around and look at things in the alley."

"Would it be possible to go get a few things in London?"

"Wha? In the muggle part of London?"

"Right. I'd like to get some clothes that fit and pick up a few fountain pens and supplies instead of using a quill."

"I don' see why no'. You'll have to manage the money since I don' go muggle very often."

After disembarking from the Knight Bus with a wave at Stan and Ern. Harry and Hagrid entered The Leaky Cauldron.

Tom, the bartender noticing Hagrid greeted him.

"Your usual Hagrid?"

"Not today Tom. I'm on important Hogwarts business. Just takin' young 'Arry here shopping for his school supplies."

This statement was greeted with a deafening silence that was quickly followed by a lone wizard crying out.

"By Merlin's beard! It is Harry Potter!".

Pandemonium would best describe the ensuing situation. Every witch and wizard in the pub crowded around Harry, hoping to welcome him back to the wizarding world.

Finally Hagrid realized that Harry was being overwhelmed.

"Alright you lot. Stop crowding the poor boy and give 'im some room ta breath."

The crowd dispersed somewhat and only a few wizards and witches remained. Hagrid took Harry by the shoulder and guided him towards a younger wizard wearing a turban.

"Ah! Professor Quirell. I hadn't noticed yah there. 'Arry this is professor Quirell."

"Nice to meet you professor. And what subject do you teach?" Harry said extending his hand in greeting but the professor nervously looked at it and instead nodded at Harry and replied.

"Ni nnn nice to meet you Potter. I teach Ddd dd d defense against the Ddd dd Dark Arts. Not that you need that now do you Ppp Potter." the professor gave a nervous laugh, his eyes shifting around the room as if looking for an imminent threat.

"Well professor, I need ta take Harry here to shop for his school things so we'll be seein' ya later."

Once outside Hagrid took out a lurid pink umbrella from within a secret pocket in his long coat and using it's tip he tapped the bricks to open the gateway to Diagon Alley.

"Hagrid, professor Quirell seems a little ... nervous."

"Yeah. He's terrified of his own subject. He was ok while he wa' learnnin from books but then he decided to travel to get more firs' hand experience and well, he came back like that. Somethin' 'bout vampires is wha' I heard."

"Well 'Arry, welcome to Diagon Alley ... or I guess in yer case it's welcome back."

Harry's second visit to Diagon Alley was not in any way less magical than his first. With Hagrid there to explain some of the things to him, Harry had a much better understanding of what he was seeing.

After a few moments Hagrid and Harry found themselves in front of a large white building with the word 'GRINGOTS' over the door. To the right of the entrance was a small plaque with a rhyme written there.

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

"This is Gringots Harry, probably the safest place in all of wizarding England. The only place that could maybe be safer is Hogwarts."

"What makes it so safe Hagrid?"

"Well the goblins right? You'd have to be daft to try and rob a goblin. An' they say there be dragons guarding some o' tha vaults." Hagrid gained a dreamy, far away look for a few moments.

As they walked into Gringots and settled in line Harry decided it would be best to check up on Goblins with Silias.

'Silias, what should I know about Goblins?'

'You are probably hoping for something along the lines of "Goblins – How best not to annoy them and end up roasted by a dragon"?. Goblins are a race of highly intelligent creatures who live side by side with wizards. They are considered to be inferior by many wizards, who foolishly believe that the goblins are comfortable with that arrangement. In fact, goblins are extremely clever and more than able to stand up to wizards.

Goblins are short and dark-skinned. They have very long fingers and feet, and some have pointed beards.

Throughout the history of the wizarding world there have been rebellions where the goblins have fought against the discrimination and prejudice. I won't bore you with these details and will teach you this subliminally instead. It's useful but boring information.

Some goblins speak a language called Gobbledegook.

Goblins are extremely clever and over the years have dealt with wizard-kind effectively. They are still subservient in the minds of most wizards, but they have established themselves as a vital part of wizarding society. The goblins run Gringotts, the wizarding bank. Therefore, they control the wizarding economy to a large extent.

Apart from their cleverness with money and finances, goblins are also very capable metalsmiths. Their silverwork is well known and prized. Goblins actually mint the Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts used in the wizarding world; each coin is stamped with a serial number identifying the goblin who cast it.'

'Ok. So main point here is don't annoy them?'

'Yes, that would be a good suggestion.' Silias replied with a hint of humor in his voice.

'Can you teach me a quick greeting then?'

A few moments later Harry knew the proper greeting for a goblin.

Finally they arrived at the counter of a surly looking goblin. His nameplate named his Griffhack.

"Mr. Harry Potter would like to make a withdrarwel." Intoned Hagrid in his usual broken English.

"**Good day Goblin Griffhack. May your coffers fill with gold."**

The bank's main hall went as silent as a tomb and all heads turned to the ten year old boy who had just addressed a goblin in it's own language. Griffhack was slowly raising himself on his chair to have a better look at the young boy.

Harry was feeling rather nervous and had started sweating. He was fairly certain that he had addressed the goblin properly but by the reaction of everyone in the hall he MUST have done something wrong. Looking to Hagrid for guidance was of no help. Hagrid appeared just as stunned as everyone else.

'What did I just say?'

'You said is quite eloquently, I'm not sure why everyone is reacting like so negatively.'

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone." Harry had started to shake slightly for fear and nerves.

This seemed to bring the goblin out of it's shocked state.

"I am sorry Mr. Potter. You have not offended either myself or my colleagues in any way. It is we who have shown so little manners in our dealings with you. We were simply surprised that one so young would know our language. Also, we were led to believe that you had been raised by muggles." Griffhack was attempting to set his face in a pleasant grin and the end result was only _slightly_ terrifying.

This seemed to calm Harry a little. It appeared he would NOT be roasted alive in dragon breath.

"I don't know much of it. Just a few words here and there. I took the time to learn that greeting for my first meeting with goblins." Explained a rather nervous Harry Potter, trying to downplay the significance of the event.

"Still, we apologize for scaring you youngling. Now! I understand that we have business to conduct and there is profit to be made." with this Griffhack gazed at the gawking customers and goblins clearly indicating that they should get back to their own transactions.

"'ight, Mr. Potter 'ere would like to make a withdraarl from his vaults. I 'ave 'is key with me 'ere somewhere." Hagrid started searching all the pockets his his large fur trench coat, taking out half eaten biscuits, mice (no, the mice were not half eaten) and other various odds and ends.

Griffhack looked at Harry and gave a grin and an exaggerated roll of the eyes.

Harry tried to stifle a laugh.

"Ah! There it be. I'm also 'ere on 'ogwarts business for professor Dumbledore. I'm 'ere to collect 'you know what' from vault 'you know which'." said Hagrid in a very obvious and suspicious whisper while sliding a letter to the goblin.

The goblin looked nervously at the letter that Hagrid handed him.

"Ah! Yes! Griphook will show you the way then."

The ride down to his Vault was exhilarating. This was exactly what a muggle roller coaster would be like. Travel to and from the vaults was done in miners carts that went at ridiculous speeds. Harry was exhilarated and whooped for joy as they turned a rather sharp turn without slowing down. Griphook seemed to be enjoying the young boy's enthusiasm while Hagrid looked like he was about to sick up.

"Vault 687. Mr. Potter, this is your vault."

Opening his vault Harry was flabbergasted. He had understood from the letter his parents had left him that he would have a substantial sum of money but the piles of gold, silver and copper coins that filled his vault would have easily filled a small residential swimming pool.

"You didn't think you mom and dad left you 'ith nothin now did ya?" said a beaming Hagrid.

Harry looked from the pile of coins, to Hagrid, to Griphook and back at the vault.

"Go ahead Mr. Potter. You would not be the first person to do it." said an amused Griphook.

A wicked grin crept up on Harry's lips and without further ado he launched himself into his vault rolling in the wizarding gold.

After a few minutes of this Harry returned to his senses, filled a money bag with wizarding gold, silver and copper and locked the vault.

"Now we are heading to vault 713 for Mr. Hagrid."

Hagrid moaned at this while Harry whooped with joy.

Finally the cart screeched to a halt in front of huge, ominous looking doors. The doors practically screamed out. "TOUCH ME AT YOUR OWN PERIL MORTAL." or "GAZE UPON ME AND DESPAIR!".

Griphook slowly approached the doors, ran a long sharp fingernail along the center of the door and stepped back.

"Anyone other than a Gringots Goblin touching these doors would find themselves sucked into the vault." explained Griphook.

"And how often do you check the vault for intruders?" asked Harry.

Griphook's only answer was a wicked grin.

The vault doors slowly creaked open to reveal ... an empty vault. Or rather an almost completely empty vault. In the center of the room, on a stone pedestal was a oddly shaped and poorly wrapped package about the size of Harry's small fist. Hagrid quickly took the package and hid it in one of the many pockets of his fur coat.

The ride back to the lobby was done is silence. Harry took the opportunity to research a farewell greeting in Gobbledegook while Hagrid did his best not to sick up along the way.

"Ok, now all we need to do is change some of this wizarding gold into pounds so that we can do a bit of muggle shopping and we are done here."

"Very well, I believe that Griffhack is available for you Mr. Potter."

"**Farewell and may your investments always bring favorable returns." **

Again, people around them stopped what they were doing and stared at the young raven haired boy but this time there was no such reaction from the goblins who simply coughed politely to re-capture their clients attention.

Griphook gave a small nod of his head "And your's Mr. Potter."

Harry and Hagrid traveled back to Griffhack's stand.

"I hope that all was to your satisfaction gentlemen?"

"Yes, the service was great and I really enjoyed the ride to the vaults." then in an exaggerated stage whisper "I think Hagrid didn't like the ride down. I think it was a little too fast for him."

Hagrid, to his credit, did offer a small chuckle even if he was still a little green tinged.

"I would need to change some Galleons into Pounds for a bit of muggle shopping and I was also wondering about the size of my account. Would it be possible to find out how much I have in there and what I can and can't do with it?"

"Of course Mr. Potter, we will have a statement forwarded to you by owl within the next few days. Here is your muggle money. If you require any further assistance please address me an owl personally and I will see what can be done. Gringots is a full service institution."

With that they left Gringots.

"Hagrid? What was that you got out of vault 713."

"That be 'ogwarts business Harry. Worth more than me job to tell you that."

They walked on in silence for a few steps. Hagrid obviously had something on his mind.

"What's wrong Hagrid?"

"Well, ya see. It's just I was wonderin' ... were didja learn Gobbledygook Harry? Most wizards don't bother learnnin' the language and you been livin' with them muggles for the past ten years."

"Like I told Griffhack. I researched a few words for my first visit with the goblins. My parents left me a lot of information about the wizarding world and when they mentioned money I looked into it." Harry replied nonchalantly while all the while thinking 'Yeah, that sounds good.'

"I can't actually speak the language. Just a few words."

This seemed to appease Hagrid and they continued along.

"Well, the goblins sure seemed real 'appy 'bout it. They even gave you a really good exchange rate on yer Galleons."

"Now. Harry, do you mind if I go back to the pub and grab meself a pint while you get your robes done? Those goblin carts always set me off. Then we can go an' get ya yer wand at Olivanders."

"I should be fine Hagrid. I'll wait for you here when I'm done."

The caretaker gave Harry a large appreciative grin and rushed off towards the leaky Cauldron.

As soon as Hagrid was out of sight, Harry left Madame Malkins and rushed to a pawn shop across the way.

"I'm looking for a uhm 'primer' on gobbledygook."

"Yes, well I do believe we have something like that back here somewhere. Ah! Here it is. It's in rather poor shape unfortunately."

Harry did not really care what shape it was in. He had access to much better information than what was in that book but he needed something to backup his story so he quickly paid for his purchase and returned to Madame Malkins.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here -- another young man being fitted up just now, in fact. "

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him) slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.

Harry had the worst conversation with a boy his age ever.

He had found himself standing next to a platinum blond boy with a thin face. The boy reminded him strongly of Dudley. Not in his intelligence, this boy appeared to be able to walk AND talk at the same time; or in his appearance , Harry was pretty sure he could hold his own in a fist fight with this boy; but in his general attitude.

Dudley was used to having everything he wanted and so did this boy.

Draco Malfoy pompously prattled on about purebloods and how rich he was. He asked questions but never bothered to really listen to the answers he was given.

Harry was quite happy when the arrogant boy was done being fitted, a few more minutes with the racist prick and a fist fight would ensue.

Harry thanked whatever deity was watching over him at that moment. If the stupid, prissy, bigoted little spoiled brat had not left, Harry thought he would have socked him one. Contrarily to Dudley, this boy did not weigh twice as much as he did and Harry felt certain he would be able to hold his own against him.

Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).

"What's up?" said Hagrid.

"Nothing," Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found another bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote.

After a few minutes he told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.

"--and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in."

"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were -- he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles -- look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"

"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"

"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but --"

"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Harry gloomily.

"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."

"Vol-, sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"

"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.

They bought Harry's schoolbook at Flourish and Blots. Harry was not particularly interested in the books since he had Silias but he still picked up a few extra books to cover for some of the things he was planning on learning that were outside of the normal curriculum. The shop itself was very interesting and so were the books but having instant access to the collected knowledge of a brilliant witch and wizard made books a little unnecessary.

One book did grab Harry's attention more than others. Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian. And Hagrid managed to convince Harry not to purchase it. Harry did make mental note of the names of the spells on the cover so as to research them later on.

"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."

"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."

They did a bit more shopping at the Apothecary. The shop was interesting enough to compensate for it's stench. It reminded him of Mrs. Figg's house.

"Just yer wand left - A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present. I know it's a bit early but since were here."

Harry felt himself go red.

"You don't have to --"

"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at - an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."

They entered Eeylops Owl Emporium. The dark shop was filled with about a hundred owls.

Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus), Little Owl (Athena noctua), Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia) but the one owl that caught both Hagrid and Harry's attention was a beautiful female Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) also known as the 'Harfang des Neiges'.

Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium. Harry now carried a large cage that held the beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.

"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivander's left now - only place fer wands, Ollivander's, and yeh gotta have the best wand."

Thinking of the Dursley's brought to mind many problems. They starved him. He knew this and could live with it but what would they do with his beautiful new companion. Would they simply kill her?

"Hagrid?"

"Aye 'arry?"

"I'm sorry but I really can't accept her."

Hagrid looked hurt and confused. "Why not 'arry. I know we 'ust met and all but I've known ye since ye were a little tyke. I flew ye from yer parents home, the night they died, to them horrible muggles. Ye shouldn't be ashamed to accept a gift from me."

"That's ... that's not it Hagrid. I'm afraid of what the Dursley's might do to her."

Harry paused trying to find a proper way of wording his concerns. Hagrid seemed to understand this and simply waited.

"The Dursleys hate me Hagrid. They don't always feed me well and I'm afraid of what they would do to Hedwig. You saw where I live, that's not exactly a good place for an owl to live."

Hagrid's face went through several stages at this point. From rage to pity and many in between.

"Don't ya worry 'bout it none 'arry. Dumbledore is o'er there right now sorting things out and if 'e can't make them muggles act like normal human beings then I don't think he'll let ya stay there. Great man Dumbledore, great man. Trust me on this 'arry, I'll talk ta Dumbledore as soon as I get back to 'ogwarts and if I'm not satisfied I'll come and get ya meself."

This seemed to improve Harry's morale greatly.

"All 'ight then. Off to Ollivanders for yer wand."

Finally Harry would get a wand he was sure would work for him. He would have to remember to ask if the reaction of the wand his parents had left him was normal.

The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.

They entered the shop. It was very dark and the walls were covered with rows upon rows of small drawers. Harry could feel power practically pulsing from the walls.

"A Mr. Potter. I was wondering when I would see you."

Both Harry and Hagrid jumped a good foot off the ground as Mr. Ollivander came up behind them unseen and unheard.

"Ah! Mr. Ollivander sir."

"Rubeus Hagrid. Nice to see you again. Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy wasn't it?

"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.

"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.

"Er -- yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.

"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.

"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.

"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look.

Turnning to Harry.

"And Harry Potter, Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.

"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it -- it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.

"And that's where..."

Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly.

"Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..."

Mr. Ollivander stood there for a time, pondering something.

"Well, what is done is done. Now we have a wizard to match to a wand."

"Actually Mr. Ollivander, I ... I have a wand here. My parents left it for me so I could get to Diagon Alley." With this, Harry took out his battered old wand and handed it to Mr. Ollivander.

"Hum. Eleven inches, willow. I do not know what it's core is." After a few moments the wand maker took his own wand and performed a complex series of swishes over the battered wand.

"Augury feather? How strange. This wand was not made by Ollivanders. We do not use Augury feathers. Not that there is anything wrong with Augury feathers as a core."

Mr. Ollivander passed the wand back over.

"What's an Augury Mr. Ollivander?"

At this Hagrid perked up.

"Thin and sad-looking birds what somewhat resemble a vulture, greenish-black in color, native ta Britain an' Ireland. Normally hides in its nest in brambles and thorns, flyin' only in heavy rain, tha feathers of the Augurey repel ink. Its cry was thought ta be a death omen, but we know better now, it actually means it's gonna rain. The Augurey eats insects and fairies. They be also known as the 'Irish Phoenix'."

"Have you tried performing any spells with this wand Mr. Potter?"

"Oh no! Not with the restrictions on under-aged magic. But when I picked it up it did shoot out a few red sparks. Is that normal?"

"Please give it a quick swish for me Mr. Potter."

Harry did as he was told and again a few red sparks shot out of the end of the wand.

"No ... no, this wand is not a perfect match for you. It would make a good emergency wand but I would not use it for everyday use. Now let's find you your perfect match. You will never get as good a result with the wand of another as with a wand that chooses you Mr. Potter."

"Uhm, Mr. Ollivander sir. Aren' ya gonna take tha' other wand back?"

"And why would I do that Hagrid? It is not mine."

"Well, I thought there wa' a law on ownnin' more tha' one wand."

"Mr. Potter. You told me this was given to you by your parents posthumously?"

"Yes sir."

"Then it falls under the Heirlooms and Hereditary Gifts clause. Most young wizards and all muggleborns are only allowed one wand, to bypass this law the purebloods passed a bill wherein more wands could be owned if passed on by family members after death. Now back to work."

It took close to two hours and one-hundred and twenty-three wands to find Harry's perfect match. The longer it took, the more excited Mr. Ollivander was.

"Maybe ... I have a special wand here Mr. Potter. Holly, 11", supple, single phoenix tail feather. Give that a try."

Harry took the wand and in that moment felt as if he was whole. He could feel the wand in his hands as if it were alive. Taking a small breath he pointed the wand at a box on the counter and cried out a spell he didn't even know he knew.

"Windgardium Leviosa!"

The wand box on Mr. Ollivanders counter started to float upwards. Harry was elated. This was the first bit of magic he had ever performed.

Then it hit him. The first bit of UNDER-AGED magic he had performed. The box suddenly shot up straight to the ceiling and fell back to the floor.

"Oh no. I'm going to get expelled before I ever even set foot into Hogwarts."

Harry quickly turned to Mr. Ollivander and Hagrid. Both adults were looking at Harry with a look of surprise. Mr. Ollivander recovered quickly.

"I do not think you have anything to worry about Mr. Potter. It is expected that young witches and wizards will perform one or two spells in my shop, how is one to determine if they have the proper wand if they do not try it."

Then under his breath, the wandmaker added "Of course usually it is a burst of unfocused magic and not a perfectly executed levitation charm."

'Of course you have nothing to worry about. The ministry only really monitors the homes of muggleborn or muggle raised wizards for under-aged magic. They have a sensor somewhere around your aunts home to keep track of your magic use.' Silias informed Harry.

"It is very curious Mr. Potter that that wand has chosen you. You see, that wand shares it's magical core with only one other wand in the whole world. It's brother wand you see is the wand that gave you your scar."

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did amazing things. They were terrible, terrible things but still amazing. I believe that we can expect great things from you Mr. Potter."


	10. Chapter 9: Debreifing

Debriefing

Albus Dumbledore sat alone in his dark office. Fawkes was out hunting and was not present to cheer his companion.

The headmaster had been very disturbed by what he had learned after visiting the Dursley household.

He, of course, knew that it was not the perfect environment for young Harry Potter. Mrs. Figgs, his eyes and ears on private drive for these ten long years, had given him reports over the years but he had not know how bad the situation had really been until the moment he had caught the young hope filled eyes peeking out of the corner of the door of a locked broom cupboard.

It had taken all his self control to not simply hex Vernon Dursley to oblivion then and there, blast the door off it hinges and take young Potter away from that hell that very moment.

The headmasters shoulders sank lower. He had failed the boy. He had sent him into a living hell for close to ten years of his life. He had repeated his past mistakes and hopefully this time the price would not be as high as the last.

Seeing Harry Potter's brilliant emerald eyes peeking at him from a crack in the locked cupboard had only been the beginning. Using passive legilimency on the Dursleys had revealed years of mental abuse with the rare but still unpardonable bouts of physical abuse such as starvation while they lavished attention and granted every whim of their own son.

They had stunted both his physical and mental growth. The first by forcing him to live in a cramped area and by restricting his food and the second in so many ways it would take days do list them all.

Harry was not allowed to outperform his lazy and somewhat dim cousin for fear of reprisal, he was not allowed to ask questions, any flight of fancy was quickly punished limiting his imagination. The list went on and on.

At least the boy would be away from that unhealthy environment for most of the next seven years. Maybe he should reconsider the Weasleys offer and have Harry live with them. The Weasleys were not rich by any stretch of the imagination but what they lacked in gold they made up with in love. Every one of the Weasley children knew that no matter what happened they would always be loved. Also Harry did have a trust account setup to help with any living costs that would come up and the last time the headmaster looked into it, it had accumulated an incredible amount in interest.

The irony of the situation was not missed by the headmaster in this situation. Harry was put into a hateful household because of his mothers love. He was rich yet forced to live in a cupboard, starved and forced to wear hand me downs that were three times too big for him.

Maybe other safeguards could be put in place. They would not be as powerful as the ones provided at Private Drive but did the protection offered by the wards outweigh the psychological damage done by the Dursleys?

A gentle, wrinkled hand on his shoulder brought the headmaster out of his dark thoughts.

"Ah! Minerva. I did not hear you enter." The headmaster put on a brave smile but his eyes were filled with regret and lacked their usual twinkle.

"Are ye alright Albus?" the elderly witch and deputy headmistress sat on the arm of the headmasters chair rubbing his back soothingly. A look of concern on her face.

"I have failed him. I should have listened to you all those years ago Minerva. They are the worst kind of people. I condemned him to a decade of mental and physical abuse."

"Now Albus, It canna be that bad surely."

"I appear to be unable to learn from my mistakes Minerva."

The headmaster waved his hand at a cupboard. The doors opening to reveal an ancient, rune engraved bowl. With another wave of his hand the bowl floated to the headmasters desk.

Taking out his wand, the headmaster put it to his temple, concentrated for a few seconds and slowly pulled it away from his head dragging a silver strand out of his mind which he deposited into the stone bowl.

"Go and take a look Minerva. There is more there than meets the eye as well but you will be able to glean some of that from my encounter with the Dursleys. Pay careful attention to the surroundings and decor."

With that the transfiguration teacher set a finger into the bowl and closed her eyes. After a few moments she appeared to return to her senses, her face white and shaking with fury.

"And ye say there is more Albus?" the normally strict and controlled transfiguration mistress was barely controlling her fury.

"So much more Minerva."

Both teachers sat in silence for a time.

Eventually the headmaster lifted his head and looked at the door.

"Ah! Hagrid is on his way. I wonder how his day out shopping with young Harry went." The headmaster sounded hopeful. Hagrid would be able to let them know how well adjusted Harry was in a normal social setting. Maybe the damage would not be so severe as to be irreversible.

"Evnin' headmaster. Here is your package safe an' sound." Hagrid beamed at the headmaster, proud to have been entrusted with such an important mission.

The headmaster took the package and carefully set it on the corner of his desk. Fawkes would be able to take it to a safe location when he returned from hunting.

"Now Hagrid, have a seat and tell us about your day with young Mr. Potter."

"Ah! He's a great kid alright. He 'ad no idea he was famous. 'ad to tell him all about it meself."

"Well, that was to be expected. The only information he had was from his parents and since their death is what made him famous they of course could not have told him of this." Minerva interjected pointing out the obvious.

"Now Hagrid, how did he enjoy his visit to Diagon Alley? How ... how happy was he?"

"'e was like a tyke in a candy store 'e was. We went to Gringots firs' and 'e gave us all a start there. Went and greeted them goblins in Gobbledygook. 'expect ta hear 'bout tha' in the Prophet tommarow."

"He speaks Gobbledygook?" Minerva McGonagall was asked incredulously.

"Well, not really spoke it. 'e said 'e looked up a few greetin's ahead of time after reading about his vault in his letter. Found 'im readin' some more from a battered old phrase book when I came back to Madam Malkins after 'is robes were done. 'e was mighty worried he had offended tha goblins when everyone stopped what they was doin' after 'e said somethin' the first time."

"And were the Goblins angry?" the headmaster asked worriedly.

"Nah, they was right chuffed 'bout it. The boy who lived took the time to talk to them in their own language. They gave 'im preferential treatment after tha'. Gave 'im good rates when 'e converted some galleons ta pounds and one goblin offered to handle any future request 'e might 'ave." Hagrid sounded very proud of his young charge.

"Ya should 'ave seen 'im on the way to 'is vault. Looks like 'e enjoyed the ride down. Was hallorin' like crazy with 'is hands up in tha air every time we took a turn. I be thinkin 'e takes ta flyin' pretty easy. And then when we got to 'is vault 'e jumped in it and rolled around in it. The goblin what was with us laughed and said a lot o' people do that tha first time."

The headmaster, his eyes full of happiness and twinkling madly once again, offered Hagrid a giant sized cup of tea which the games-keeper happily took.

After a few sips he continued.

"He met Lucius Malfoys son, Draco and they didn't hit it off at all. 'Arry told me 'e was close to punching the brat out when 'e started spewin' pureblood non-sense and insulted me. Young Malfoy didn' even know who 'e was talkin' to. I think 'arry doesn't think too highly o' himself, 'e was worried 'bout endin up in Hufflepuff because 'e was not good enough for the other houses. I think young Malfoy might 'ave painted Hufflepuff in a bad light."

"We went and bought 'im 'is books. 'e picked up a few extra books 'e said sounded intrestin'. I managed to convince 'im not to pickup 'Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More).'. 'e said he wanted somthin' ta curse his cousin. I think he was just pullin me leg but I did mention restrictions on use of magic for minors and 'e seemed ta be aware of that."

"Then I went and bought 'im an owl. A beaut she be too. 'e named 'er Hedwig. 'e seemed real happy about it until I mentioned not getting too many gifts from them muggles. Then 'e got real sad and told me he couldn't take 'er. 'e was worried they would kill 'er."

At this the headmaster lowered his head to his hands and Minerva let out a gasp of surprise.

"I told 'im ye would 'ave everythin sorted out. I was right, right professor? 'e and his owl aren't in any danger?" Hagrid seemed rather worried and looked ready to run out at a moments notice.

"No Hagrid, they are no longer in any danger. I have made my displeasure known to the Dursleys and intimated that should Harry be in any way mistreated in the future, I would not hesitate to have them brought up on child abuse charges and sent to Azkaban. Oddly enough, this elicited a rather strong reaction from Petunia Dursley. I believe she may know of our prison and of it's reputation."

"I am still debating whether or not the protection of the wards outweigh the environment that young Mr. Potter is living in. I believe we should look into this situation during the school year."

"Anyways, after tha' we went ta some shops in muggle London and got him proper clothes. 'e also picked up some fountain pens, says they be better than quills. 'E even got me one as well. Then we took tha Knight Bus back ta Private Drive and I came back 'ere."


	11. Chapter 10: Return to Private Drive

Return to Private Drive

Harry Potter stood alone on the steps to number four Private Drive. The Knight Bus had just left in a bang with Hagrid and now Harry stood there surrounded by bags and an owl cage.

Harry was a little worried about the type of reception he could expect from the Dursleys after this rather eventful two days. He still remembered the implied threat he had received from his uncle that morning.

Bending down, he opened Hedwig's cage.

"Out you go girl, come see me tonight and we'll see if it's safe for you to come in then."

The owl looked at him with bright, intelligent eyes, giving him a questioning look and took off, landing in a tree on the property of number four.

Gathering his courage and his bags, Harry opened the door to his relatives house.

Everything seemed to be normal. By the sounds of things, someone was watching television in the living room and his aunt was cooking supper in the kitchen.

Harry poked his head into the living room. His cousin, Dudley, who was watching one of his favorite shows on the television looked up.

"Oh, your back."

Dudley sounded annoyed about something.

"Da! The freaks back!"

Vernon Dursley entered the living room. He did not seem happy but he did not appear to be in a towering rage either. He appeared rather to be resigned.

"Dudley, why don't you go and finish up your show in your room. I have to talk to ... Harry" he spat out the name as if it were something vile and poisonous "for a bit."

Amazingly enough, Dudley shut of the television and walked up the stairs without a single word of complaint. He did however throw a disgusted look to his cousin before leaving the living room.

"Now boy. We had a chat with that Dumbledorf character this morning and it has been decided that you can go to that ... that ruddy school of yours."

Harry was ecstatic. He had not dared to hope that this would happen. He didn't know what Dumbledore had told the Dursleys to make them agree to this but he would be sure to get him a Christmas gift.

Vernon Dursley apparently had seen the look of joy on Harry's face.

"Your just lucky we found out that the costs were taken care of or else you would be going to Stonewall high and I don't care what anyone would have said. Actually, this works out for us all since it means we won't have to see you for more than a few months a year during the summer."

Amazingly enough, this actually hurt Harry. He knew his relatives didn't like him but hearing it said in so many words for the first time still made an impact.

"Now, as for your living arrangements while you ARE here. Your getting too big for that cupboard of your's so were giving you Dudley's second bedroom. Move your things up there before supper."

Now it all made sense. That was why Dudley had looked at him like that. He had lost his second bedroom and had been unable to convince his parents to give it back. Dudley was not used to not having everything he wanted.

"Uhm ... uncle Vernon. Dudley sure does have a lot of things in there. Where is he going to store all of it."

"That's none of your concern BOY. We'll work something out."

Harry had a plan. Hopefully this would alleviate some of the problems with his relatives.

"Well, it's just that I was thinking. The attic is pretty empty and if we threw some of the things out I could maybe make myself a bedroom up there and that way Dudley could keep his second bedroom. It wouldn't take much effort to make it livable in there. A good cleaning and maybe a little bit of paint?" he put in hopefully.

Vernon Dursley sat in his reading chair considering this for a time. They had had quite a bit of trouble calming Dudley down after telling him that Harry would be taking over his second bedroom. Dudley had thrown a proper tantrum but after what that Dumbleworth fellow had said, there really was no alternative. Petunia had explained about the wizarding prison and it was certainly not a place that Vernon Dursley wanted to spend any extent of time.

"Fine. We have some paint left over in the garage you can use. You can get to it tomorrow. For tonight you can sleep in the guest room."

Harry was ecstatic. The attic was huge. He would have the biggest room in the house. Now all he needed to do was tell his uncle about Hedwig.

"Uhm ... uncle Vernon?"

"What NOW boy?"

"Well, Hagrid. You know, that really tall man that was with the headmaster this morning?"

Vernon gave a grunt of ascent.

"Well, he ...uhm, he bought me a birthday gift. He said he was a friend of my parents from when they went to school." Harry was rather nervous about this, it was really pushing his luck and he was very worried for the beautiful bird.

"And?"

"Well, it's a pet."

"Well you can bloody well tie it up in the back yard and if the barks wake up the neighbors we are getting it put down."

This was not going so well.

"Well, it's not a dog. It's an ... owl."

At this the elder Dursley did a rather good imitation of Hedwig. His eyes were blinking rapidly in confusion and his head started to tilt to the side.

"You see, wizards use owls to deliver post and post owls are much smarter than normal owls and they are really clean and self-sufficient ..." Harry was saying all of this as fast as he could in the hopes of overwhelming his uncle into submission.

"An owl? A bloody owl? A bloody, disease ridden bird?"

"Actually uncle Vernon, I think your thinking of pigeons. She's very clean, very smart, can hunt for her own food and I'll make sure she stays in my room."

Vernon was breathing hard. He had tried to be patient but this was pushing him to the limit.

"FINE!" he spat out. "But you'd better keep her under control because the moment she causes any trouble we have her put down."

The rest of the evening went rather well even with the tension. The Dursleys were mainly ignoring Harry and that was at least marginally better than verbal abuse. He had also received a full portion of food.

Dudley was rather happy to get his second bedroom back and from then on started to ignore Harry like his parents were doing.

After supper Harry packed up his meager possessions from his cupboard and brought them into the guest room. Hedwig had flown up to the window and was allowed into the room. She perched herself on the end of the bed and stood there blinking at him and cooing softly.

Harry started replaying some of the conversations he had had during the day. Hagrid seemed worried about Voldemort not truly being dead and to be honest, this worried Harry as well. The restriction on underaged magic made it so that he could not practice magic during the summer while at home. This was really a biased restriction considering that purebloods were not monitored in this way.

'You know. I think this is one of those moments where I should suggest a course of action.'

'What about Silias?'

'Well, apparently you defeated an evil dark wizard. Your friend Hagrid seemed worried he might not be truly gone. Your uncle appears a little temperamental.'

'A little temperamental? I think that's like saying that Hagrid is a midget.' Sillias gave a small laugh at this. 'So what should I do?'

'Well, nothing this summer but during the year we should get you to learn wandless magic and mage sight. At least enough so that you can tamper with the sensor here to allow you to practice your magic during the summer. Knowing how to do things is no real replacement for actual practice.'

'I'd be able to do that?'

'Well your magical core won't be large enough for you to do much wandless magic and mage sight is very difficult to master but we can probably get you to a point by the end of the year where you'd be able to change the sensor around this area. I'll work out a subliminal lesson plan for this for the summer and then when you are at school we can work on the practical aspect. Of course, if we don't get far enough we could always build an inhibitor to cover your room.'

Harry lay down on the guest bed thinking about the changes that had occurred in his life over the last two days. Hedwig flew over to him and landed on his chest letting him pet her feathers.

He was a wizard, he was famous, he was rich, he was going to be away from Private Drive most of the year, he was no longer to be locked in a cupboard, he had proper clothing, he was getting proper amounts of food, he had an awesome companion.

Yes, things were certainly looking up.


	12. Chapter 11: Dimensionally Transcendental

Dimensionally Transcendental

The next few days were some of the best Harry had ever had on Private Drive, not that that meant all that much all things considered. He had cleaned up and painted the attic. He had also picked up some used furniture over at a yard sale on Magnolia Crescent. Old Mrs. Figg had been getting rid of quite a few old pieces of furniture and he had gotten some very good deals. Getting a bed into the attic would have been problematic and so Harry purchased a hammock that he setup in a corner. It was comfortable but took a while to get used to. Harry had also cut part of the left-over carpet in the attic to make himself an area rug. All in all he had a very nice loft going.

Harry split his time between his much reduced chores, reading his parents journals and learning magic from Silias.

With all this new freedom, Harry felt he would be well prepared for the start of term.

He had decided to write a thank-you note to those who had helped him making all this possible. Also, Hedwig appeared to be desperately bored as he had yet to send her out for a delivery.

Most of the letters were finally finished. Harry had used his quill since it would be easier to get supplies for that than for his pens once he arrived at Hogwarts. He spent a considerable amount of time on the letters for Hagrid and the headmaster since they had gone out of their way to help him.

"Hedwig, come down here girl."

The snowy owl floated down to land on the simple desk Harry had been sitting at. Guessing what her new master wanted, she stuck out her leg and waited for him to tie down the large package to it.

"Now girl, I don't know if this is a big delivery for you or not. Take as much time as you need to get this delivered. There's no need for you to rush back."

Harry felt a little silly talking to the owl like this but he was fairly certain she understood him. And really it was not much sillier than talking to the projected mental voice of an inanimate amulet.

"Go give Hagrid his letter first and then the headmaster. Then you can deliver the rest in whatever order you want. I don't know where any of these people live. Now that I think about it I don't even know where Hogwarts is. Actually, let me add a little note for the headmaster."

Hedwig hooted at him, nipped his finger in an affectionate way and flew out through one of the two small, round windows in the attic.

With Hedwig gone Harry decided to read through his schoolbooks to see what he would need to know. Picking at random he drew forth from his pile of schoolbooks ... Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger.

After a few minutes Harry let out a sigh of frustration. The book was boring, especially when compared to the amulet. The book was just so badly written which was rather sad considering that the subject itself was interesting. Deciding to procrastinate Harry decided it was finally time to open the other two sections of the multi lock chest. He had held back from opening it mainly due to lack of time everything had been happening so fast and he really needed to setup his new room.

"Let's see what secrets you hold."

Grabbing the middlemost key and twisting it found harry looking into a ... completely empty trunk.

"Well, that was rather disappointing."

Harry took his schoolbooks and various nicknacks and stored them in that section. After placing all his books, his cauldron, his potion kit, his school clothes Harry came to the realization that this section of the trunk was actually deeper than the physical dimension of the trunk, about half again as deep as one would think looking at the outside.

"What the ..."

Grabbing the amulet at his neck he willed Silias to tell him about magical storage.

'Well Master Potter, this topic is rather technically complicated but I think this might help you a bit.

_Dimensionally transcendental: _

_Of course, the external dimensions don't bear very much resemblance to what's inside. The interior of the bag of holding occupies a separate set of dimensions to the exterior - so it's a lot bigger on the inside than the outside. _

_The exterior of the bag exists in the real world, but the interior exists in a relative world._'

This was followed by what would probably pass as simple instructions to Albus Dumbledore on what spells where used to create and control the extra dimensions. So of course Harry, seeing as he was not Albus Dumbledore, understood none of it.

There were also some vague warnings about the dangers of introducing an extra-dimensional space within another such space. In brief, it was recommended not to try it.

Coming out of his amulet induced trance Harry decided to take a look at the third section of the trunk.

Opening this section of the trunk revealed an even greater surprise. Instead of a trunk space this section had the appearance of a large cavern made of black, melted stone.

The trunk opened in the roof of the cavern and so Harry had no way of going in to explore. Pulling his head out of the trunk Harry ran to a box he had filled with interesting nicknacks he had found while cleaning the attic.

He took an old electric torch and ran quickly back to the trunk.

The light from the torch did little to illuminate the cavern. It looked as if the stone absorbed most of the light. But still he was able to get an idea of the caves dimensions. The irregular floor of the cavern appeared to be about twenty feet below and the walls could not be seen from Harry's current vantage point.

Harry was just itching to go explore it thinking of all the the things he could do with such a room. Now the only problem remaining was how to get in and out of the trunk.

"I could 'borrow' uncle Vernon's ladder. Now I really wish I had a broom."

Seeing as nothing could be done there and then Harry put it out of his mind for the time being and returned to his potions textbook.

A few more minutes found Harry re-reading the same sentence for the third time. Disgusted with the style of the book he threw it into his trunk forgetting that the current open compartment was the cavern compartment.

Just as the book landed into the trunk a dangerous looking eagle landed on Harry's bed, a large stack of papers attached to his leg.

"Well, I guess that's all the potions studying I'll be doing this summer."

'Are you perchance forgetting about me?'

'Sorry Silias.'

Harry turned his attention to the bird.

"And who might you be?" The eagle looked at Harry piercingly and jutted out it's leg at him

"Oh, I guess your from Gringots then." Taking the package, Harry gave the eagle a few owl treats and some water. It looked at him for a few seconds and then flew off out the open window.

Sitting at his desk Harry opened the large document. On top of the file was a letter addressed to him from Griffhack.

_August 1, 1991_

_Mr. Harry James Potter_

_Room in the Attic  
Number Four Private Drive  
Little Winghing, Surrey_

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_As per our conversation of the July 27th, 1991. Please find enclosed statements concerning your trust account. Unfortunately, as per the clauses involved around the Potter and Evans Vaults, we are legally unable to forward you a detailed account of these two vaults but we are at liberty to tell you that the amount in the Potter Vault is rather significant while the Evans Vault is more modest._

_Following is a summary of the legal documents concerning your currently available vault that was set in trust for you by your parents at your birth._

_As of the writing of this letter, your trust account sits at 78,264 Galleons, 16 sickles and 13 Knuts. Of course your Hogwarts admittance fee will be processed by the end of the month leaving you with a little over 75,722 Galleons or, as you have been muggle raised 378614.84 Pounds. _

_You have almost unrestricted access to these funds. The only restriction being that the account cannot fall below an amount equal to 3,000 Galleons (your Hogwarts fees for the year) plus another 1,000 Galleons for personal expenses and books times the number of years you have left for school. So as of the writing of this document, your account cannot fall below 28,000 Galleons. This should not be a problem since your account last year generated 5290.86 Galleons in interest after all applicable taxes and charges. _

_At the current growth rate of your account, I would recommend that you limit your spending to under 8000 Galleons (over and above the 3,000 for school and 1,000 for necessities) per year so that your account remains within it's restriction._

_Again, if you have any questions or require any assistance please do not hesitate to contact me directly._

_Cordially yours,   
Griffhack  
Gringotts Account Manager_

Harry felt like he should sit down then realized he already was. He had seen the amount of money in his vault but had not understood what it actually represented. He currently had nearly half a million pounds of gold in his vault and his account manager had suggested he not waste more than 40,000 Pounds a year.

This, to a boy who had never had any pocket money whatsoever, was a little overwhelming.

Harry took the stack of papers, tied them up and hid them in the bottom his cave trunk compartment next to his potions book. The last thing he needed was for his Uncle to find out he had that much money.

He closed his trunk and opened the second compartment to take out another book and this time he found The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble. That book proved a good distraction from the news he had just received and held his attention well into the evening.


	13. Chapter 12: And so we meet again

And so we meet again.

Albus Dumbledore looked on to his office and gave a small chuckle. At this rate he would have to modify his office to allow for larger meetings. Once again, his office was filled with concerned adult witches and wizards.

Alastor Moody was currently speaking with Remus Lupin while taking small sips from his hip flask. Molly and Arthur Weasley were discussing something with Minvera. Florean Fortescu was sitting quietly in a chair admiring Fawkes who was currently on Hagrid's lap being gently pet.

Mundungus Fletcher was having a quiet conversation with Mrs. Figg.

The atmosphere was much more relaxed than it had been when they had all been gathered here five days prior. It was a testament of their faith in him that they could be so relaxed after receiving the letter they had less than a week ago.

"If I may interrupt?"

With this all conversation ceased and everyone found a place to sit.

"Now, I do believe that we are all here so we can begin."

"How is he Albus? Is ... is he happy? Have they been mistreating him?" Remus Lupin asked with concern.

"I believe that it would be best if you all witnessed that day, both from my perspective and from Hagrids who accompanied young mister Potter back to Diagon Alley."

With this the headmaster uncovered his pensive and gestured for all those attending to enter it.

"Hagrid and I will stay behind to keep watch over your inert forms Alastor."

The assembled witches and wizards found themselves walking down Private Drive with the memory of Albus Dumbledore speaking to a semi transparent Hagrid.

"Now Hagrid, we may encounter some problems retrieving Mr. Potter. Whatever happens, you must endeavor to remain calm. This situation is very delicate as it stands."

Hagrid looked a little perturbed by the headmasters cautioning.

"What do ya mean headmaster?"

"We will see Hagrid, we will see."

Most of the approaching witches and wizards gasped in surprise at number four Private Drive. As they were seeing the scene how Albus Dumbledore remembered it, they were able to see it as he did. Surrounding the house was an intricate web of orange colored strands.

Florean Fortescu was the first to comment.

"What in Myrddin's name is that?"

"That would be the wards surrounding Mr. Potters home as seen by the greatest wizard of our time." Was the reply from Minerva McGonnagal.

With that they calmly made their way to private drive. The memory of Albus Dumbledore approached the door, brushed his clothes clean and knocked, humming an indistinct tune.

The door opened rather quickly to reveal a rather large man dressed in comfortable silk pajamas.

"Mr. Vernon Dursley?"

"Look whatever it is your selling we aren't interested! It's bloody well six-thirty in the morning and me and my wife were still asleep." Vernon Dursley looked quite annoyed.

"Well Mr. Dursley, I am not selling anything. My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, amongst other things. I am sure that your lovely wife, Petunia, has mentioned me before."

The hallway was blanketed in dead silence. The wizards crowded around the entrance of the memory Private Drive were laughing softly. The look on Vernon Dursleys face was priceless.

After a few seconds of silence. The headmaster continued on with the conversation.

"Yes well, I am here to discuss Mr. Harry Potters education with you and to have a few words with Mr. Potter himself. Would it be possible to speak with him?"

A pleasant and calm expression settled on the headmasters face, his eyes twinkling madly in apparent enjoyment of the discomfort he was causing the Dursley patriarch. That is until his eyes quickly flicked to the door of the cupboard under the stairs where Harry was locked in. The smile slowly faded from his face.

Minvera McGonagall had already seen this memory and so knew what to look for.

"If you would all take a look at the cupboard door by the stairs."

They noticed the door to the cupboard move slightly and a pair of brilliant green eyes stare in their direction.

"I believe I will await Mr. Potter in the living room while you go fetch him Mr. Dursley. Please do not be alarmed when you return. I will have an associate of mine here with me."

With this the headmaster strode purposefully into the living room and Vernon Dursley slowly turned towards the cupboard his mouth silently going up and down like a goldfish out of water.

The group of wizards numbly followed the headmaster into the living room.

The headmaster sat in a comfortable looking recliner and rubbed the ridge of his nose in frustration while quickly waving his wand at Hagrid sitting on the couch. The gamekeeper appeared to solidify, loosing his semi-transparent look.

"Ha! I knew he could see people under magical concealment." whispered Alastor Moody.

Looking around the very clean and ordered living room, no pictures of Harry could be seen. The only pictures on the walls were of Vernon Dursley, his wife and their morbidly obese son Dudley.

Harry nervously entered the living room and stopped and stared at the headmasters 'associate'.

They viewed the conversation with Harry in stony silence. Molly Weasley and Remus Lupin were shaking with suppressed rage by the time Hagrid and Harry left.

"Guh nih-heh on cot hoo iss guh nih-heh on jowel on cot "

Everyone turned to look at Minerva McGonagall.

"Gaelic curse. May the cat eat you and the devil eat the cat."

A few moments later Vernon Dursley entered the living room accompanied by his wife Petunia.

"Petunia." greeted the headmaster.

With a wave of his wand he summoned a tea set and some biscuits. The reaction from the Dursleys would have been comical had it not been for the previously witnessed scenes. The Dursleys who were already looking a little green around the edges let out a moan of fear.

"Muggle baiting Albus? Never would have pegged you for that." Alastor said to the memory of Dumbledore.

"I don't think it's muggle baiting Alastor. I think it's just Albus being eccentric."

"Guess your right Arthur."

The headmaster had just finished taking a sip of his tea in an apparent attempt to give the Dursleys some time to recover from the shock of witnessing magic.

"Now Petunia, I am very disappointed in you and your husband. I believe we had an agreement when I left poor Harry at your doorstep so many years ago."

This seemed to shake the Dursleys out of their shock.

"And we kept our end of that bargain. We kept him here, we clothed him and fed him."

The headmaster put down his cup of tea.

"Yes, you gave him the bare minimum to maintain that portion of your agreement with me. I was hoping that you would show him at least a bit of love instead I find him living in a locked cupboard under the stairs, mentally abused and under fed. You do realize that both in your world and mine, this is considered child abuse and is punishable by imprisonment. In case of the magical world, it is imprisonment in Azkaban."

The reaction from Petunia Dursley was amazing. She sat down on the couch and became white as a sheet.

"Azkaban?" she asked quietly.

"Petunia, what if your roles were reversed. What if Dudley had been left with the Potters instead of Harry with you. Would you have wanted the same treatment for Dudley as you have given to Harry?"

Petunia had the good graces to look down at the floor in shame.

"Now you spoke of acquitting yourself of your part of our agreement but I notice that you fail to take into consideration Harry's lack of knowledge of his birthright and your refusal, as was indicated by your husband, to have Harry attend Hogwarts as per his parents last will and testament."

"I will NOT pay to have the boy go to some posh school so he can learn some parlor tricks."

"What we do is not stage magic Mr. Dursley but real magic but that is asides the point. Let me address your monetary concerns. Money has been set aside for Mr. Potter to attend Hogwarts and so will be of no financial consequence to you."

The Dursleys looked a little defeated at that.

"Now that that has been addressed, it is time we looked at Mr. Potters living arrangements while he is in your home. As I have indicated earlier you could be charged with child abuse with the conditions that you keep Mr. Potter in. I will give you this one chance to redeem yourselves. Mr. Potter is to be given a proper room, proper food and if you cannot find it in yourselves to love him then I will at least request a lack of hostility or our agreement will be null and void and I shall insure that you are prosecuted to the full extent of our laws. I will insure that Mr. Potter has some funds available for clothing and the likes but you are to provide for him with proper food and lodging and a non-hostile living environment. Do we have an agreement?"

The Dursleys looked at each other for a short moment.

"Not like we have much choice, it's either that or go to prison."

"Mr. Dursley, you had the choice. You chose to accept to take Harry into your home in exchange for a service. You had a choice to treat him well and maybe even love him or to treat him as a slave. I have not taken away your choices but simply have come to present you with the consequences of these decisions. It is not our abilities that make us who we are but our actions."

Here the memory faded to black and the wizards and witches found themselves in a new memory. Hagrid's memory of his day out with Harry.

After viewing these memories the group emerged from the pensieve and returned to their seats.

Remus Lupin was the first to break the silence with a string of expletives that, unfortunately, are not appropriate for print.

"I think if I ever meet them, I'll kill them."

"Yes, I found myself hard pressed to resist the urge to produce magic on such a scale that it would have violated the decree for secrecy after spending only a few moments with the elder Dursley."

"Well, he is not going back to those horrid muggles again. I said it before and I'll say it again, there is plenty of room at The Burrow for the boy."

"It may very well be that we may take you up on that very generous offer Molly. I am currently looking into other means of protecting young Harry once he is away from the wards I have setup on Private Drive. The decision to leave is one that Harry must be a part of. I placed him with his relatives when he was a child because it was the only thing I could think of doing at the time but now young Mr. Potter is old enough to have a say in this. This is a subject that I will broach with him during the school year."

After a time Alastor Moody spoke up.

"You know Albus, imprisoning a child in a cupboard like that falls under child abuse laws. We can have the Dursleys in Azkaban by tomorrow morning."

"I know Alastor, I know. I have used that very argument with the Dursleys, as you well know, to insure Mr. Potters well being during his stay there. At this moment he needs to stay on Private Drive to maintain the wards that are setup there at least until I can formulate another option."

"What 'bout that wand o' his? Shares a core with you-know-who? Kind a' dodgy that is." said Mundungus Fletcher.

"Actually Dung, I find it rather poetic in it's irony. He shares a brother wand with the man who murdered his family."

"Quite right Remus, quite right. It would appear that fate is not without a sense of ... justice."

"Couple of things don't add up here Albus. Theres the fact that he could speak Gobbledygook and that levitation charm of his was pretty good. The wandwork was a bit sloppy but still, he shouldn't have been able to do that at all." Mad-Eye commented with a mix of respect and uncertainty in his voice.

"Well, at least he seemed happy in Diagon Alley. I really wished you could have looked more at him while you were on the carts Hagrid. He sounded like he had fun there." Mrs. Figg chipped in trying to alleviate the tense atmosphere.

At this point a beautiful snowy owl flew in through the window in the headmasters office landing on the armrest of Hagrids chair/couch.

"'Ello there Hedwig. 'Arry sent me a note did 'e?"

Carefully taking the note from the owl he searched in his pocket and extracted an owl treat. Finished with her first delivery she then flew to the headmaster and each of the wizards and witches present except for Mrs. Figg.

Fawkes thrilled a note and shuffled aside on his perch leaving some room for the tired owl.

"Well, it would appear that Mr. Potter has sent us a note. Let us see what he has to say."

_August 1, 1991_

_Professor Albus Dumbledore  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
_

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

I wanted to thank you for your help with my relatives. Whatever you told them seems to have had a major impact on them. They now ignore me and that's much better than before. I get fair sized meals and no longer have to do all the chores around the house. All things considered this has been the best week of my life.

_You can probably imagine how surprised I was when my uncle tried to give me my cousins second bedroom. My cousin was not happy with this so I worked out an agreement with my uncle and turned the attic into a really nice suite. One of our neighbors had a yard sale so I was able to get some good furniture for real cheap._

_I would really appreciate it if you would not mention to anyone where I used to live._

_Anyhow, I'm just rambling now. _

_I can't wait to see Hogwarts._

_Harry James Potter_

_P.S.: How am I to get to Hogwarts? The letter I received from the school had no indication._

"Hagrid, did you by any chance forget to give Mr. Potter his train ticket?"


	14. Chapter 13: Kings Cross Station

Platform 9 ¾

The rest of Harry's summer vacation passed quickly and quietly. The Dursley's maintained their lack of animosity and Harry endeavored to keep out of their way. Hedwig had returned to Harry with a letter from Hagrid explaining that he was to take the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross station, platform 9 ¾. With the the letter came a single ticket.

His uncle had agreed to give Harry a ride to the train station seeing as they had to go to London anyways so Harry was not forced to take the Knight Bus. And so now he found himself there, in a crowded train terminal, unable to find platform 9 ¾. Harry was standing there between platform 9 and 10 looking for a secret entrance to the magical train platform. He figured he would have to send off a note the the headmaster explaining that he had been unable to find the platform and would be arriving by Knight Bus as soon as he could when he heard from a about twenty feet away.

Silias had been amazingly reluctant to help him in this for some reason.

"Late as usual and the station filled with muggles."

A rather large family of, obviously magical, redheads was making it way towards a support pillar between platforms 9 and 10. As Harry approached on of the four boys, the eldest to be precise, gave his mother a peck on the check and started walking towards the support pillar. Harry kept a close watch on him but at the last possible moment a commuter blocked his field of vision and when he looked again, the tall redhead was gone.

Harry decided to approach the family and ask for help. The mother was obviously busy berating her twin sons about something she had just found falling from one of their pockets. The youngest boy was gleefully watching his brothers so Harry approached their sister.

"Uhmm, I'm sorry but I was wondering if you could help me. I don't know how to get on to platform 9 ¾."

The girl turned around looking very excited.

"Oh! You must be a muggleborn then. Your letter didn't tell you?"

"No, I'm not a muggleborn. My parents were a wi ... uhm, like us but they died when I was young. I was raised by my aunt and uncle."

"Oh ... sorry."

"It's alright, you didn't know."

"_Now, you two – this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've – you've blown up a toilet or –"_

"Your mom looks rather busy."

"_Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."  
"Great idea though, thanks, Mum."  
"It's not funny. And look after Ron."_

"Yeah, she gets about twenty letters every semester from the school about them. They like to play pranks. I'm Ginny." The young girl extended her hand and Harry shook it. "I'm Harry."

"Mom! I'm going to help someone unto the platform. I'll be right on the other side." Ginny cried out to her mother.

Grabbing Harry's hand, the little redhead pulled him towards the support pillar.

"All you have to do is walk through the wall. You have to believe you can do it or else it won't work. It works best the first time if you close your eyes and just run at it." and as if to prove her point the little girl sprinted at the wall and disappeared.

Harry blinked. Even with all the impossible things he had seen since discovering the magical world, the knight bus; his trunk; the entrance to Diagon Alley, he was still surprised whenever he saw something unusual.

Taking his trolley Harry took a deep breath and ran at the wall closing his eyes only seconds before impact. A feeling like warm air swept over him and he opened his eyes.

"Welcome to platform 9 ¾." Ginny said with a flourish, pointing at the Hogwarts Express like a game show hostess.

The sight of the older model, fire engine red train took his breath away. The platform was bustling with magical and muggle families helping their children, some of them already in their school uniforms, unto the train. Looking around him, Harry felt a pang of loss. All these happy families hugging, giving words of encouragement. He had never had that in all his life and never would seeing how his parents were dead and his aunt and uncle hated him.

Ginny apparently noticed that something was wrong.

"I can't wait to go to Hogwarts. I'm not going this year, only next year. It's going to be strange being all alone at home. I always had Ron with me but he is starting this year since he's a year older than I am. Are you excited about going? How did you discover you were a wizard? Have you ever done any accidental magic?" the questions were fired in rapid manner and left Harry a little stunned.

"Uhm, where should I start?"

"Oh! There is my mom. I should really get back to her."

"Well, thanks for the help. Look, maybe I could write to you during they year? My owl Hedwig gets annoyed that I don't ever send her out since I don't really have anyone to correspond with."

This stopped Ginny in her tracks.

"You'd want to do that? Thanks, it would be great to hear about Hogwarts. My name is Ginny Weasley."

"Ok, I'll send you some post then. I should really get on the train now. Thanks for your help again."

As Harry turned away from her, he heard her mother.

"_Ginerva Molly Weasley! What were you thinking going on on your own like that ..."_

He walked away towards to express. Getting his trunk into the express proved to be a bit of a challenge. Technically, the trunk was empty since it's interior did not really exist in this world but existed in 'relative world' and was 'Dimensionally Transcendental' but Harry was a little small for his age and still the trunk proved to be too much for him to handle.

"Here, let us help ..."

"... you with that mate."

Harry turned around and found Ginny's twin brothers behind him. One of them grabbed Harry's trunk and easily lifted it off the ground.

"Oy! You sure you packed? This thing feels like it's empty."

"Yeah, it's a magic trunk. The inside exists in a relative world. Dimensionally Transcendental is what it's called I think."

"Ah Gred, I think we have a future Ravenclaw here." said one of the twins to the other.

"Oh! I don't think so. I mean, I did well enough in school but I don't think I'm that smart. I just know that about the trunk because when I opened it I found a cave in one of the compartments. Actually, I was wondering if you could help me out, I accidentally threw my potions book into the cave and can't get to it."

They put the trunk down and Harry opened the third compartment.

"Blimey! It's huge in there. That looks like spell damage mate. I don't know what happened in there but it looks like something blew up."

"Yeah! And we would know about magical explosions now wouldn't we eh Forge?"

"Windgardium Leviossa" cried out one of the twins with a swish and a flick of his wand.

The potions book started to slowly float it's way up to the opening.

"Aren't you going to get in trouble for doing underaged magic?"

"Nah! Magics ..."

"... allowed on the Express."

Harry grabbed the book and put it with the others in his second compartment.

Harry thanked them both, shaking their hands while whipping his forehead with his other hand. The twins eyes grew as big as teacups as they noticed his scar.

"What's that?" Said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.  
"Blimey,' said the other twin. "Are you –?"  
"He is," said the first twin. "Aren't' you?" he added to Harry.  
"What?" said Harry.  
"Harry Potter," chorused the twins.  
Harry's heart fell. He had enjoyed being treated normally.

"Yeah." He replied despondently.

Oddly enough, as soon as this was confirmed, the twins went back to their normal casual demeanor.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Harry but we have to go see our friend Lee Jordan. I heard he brought a tarantula."

"See ya at the feast Harry." they both cried in unison as they left Harry in his empty compartment.

Harry sat down on the bench and opened the window. He could hear the Weasly twins talking to their mother.

"You'll never guess ..."

"... who we met ..."

"... on the train mom."

"Harry Potter." they said in unison.

"Harry Potter? Can I go and see him mom please? Oh! Please?" he recognized the small girls voice as Ginny's and was confused. He had already met him. Maybe she hadn't know who he was.

"You've already seen him, Gin-Gin!" said one of the twins.

"I did?"

"Yeah, he's that black haired boy you ..." Fred or George or Gred or Forge or whoever it was that was speaking did not have a chance to finish what he was saying as his sister let out a soft, panicked shriek.

"Poor dear - no wonder he was alone, I wondered. Is he ok? You didn't prank him now did you boys?" The last question held the promise of dire consequences should their answer not please their mother.

Their mother sounded concerned for him for some reason. Harry found himself with a sad smile on his lips. It was one of the first times he had heard genuine concern from an adult for him.

"Nah mom ..."

"... we helped him ..."

"... get his trunk into the train ..."

"He's a bit small ..."

"... even for a ikkle firsty."

"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"

Their mother suddenly became very stern.

"I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school."

"Ron, you've got something on your nose."

The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.

"Mom -- geroff" He wriggled free.

Harry decided that he should stop eaves dropping and closed the window.

A few moments later the door to his compartment opened and another of Ginny's brothers tentatively walked in.

"Uhm ... mind if I join you?"

"No, I'm alone in here."

"I'm Ron Weasley." the other boy introduced himself as he sat down across from Harry.

Ron Weasley, that name seemed to ring a bell for some reason.

"I'm Harry ... Harry Potter."

Ron's eyes went wide and flicked to his forehead and then quickly looked out the window, trying to not let on that he had checked for the scar.

"Hey, Ron."

The twins were back.

"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train -- Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."

"Right," mumbled Ron.

"Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then.

"Bye," said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them. Harry heard them talking as they walked away from the compartment.

"_So, when do you think we should send Ginny a Hogwarts toilet seat?"_

"_Well, either Christmas, Valentines Day or her birthday."_

"_We should really get one from Snape's chambers ..."_

Their voices faded away as they continued to walk away.

"So the twins were telling the truth. You never know with them."

They sat in silence for a time. Eventually the train started forward.

"So your scar. That's where ..." Ron stopped lamely not knowing how to finish his question.

"Yeah, that's where Voldermort ..." here Ron gave a hiss of fright "... Voldermort hit me with the killing curse. But no, I don't remember what he looks like. I was only one year old when it happened. All I remember is allot of green light and I dream sometimes of when I was flown to my aunt and uncles home on an enchanted motorcycle. Apparently that happened for real as well."

"How can you say his name? No one ever says his name. Well Dumbledore does but he's the most powerful wizard in the world so there's no surprise there."

"I never knew not to say his name. I just found out a few months ago that I had gotten this scar not from a car crash but from my parents murderer. Heck up until that time I didn't even know I was a wizard or that there was such a thing as magic."

Ron looked at him completely baffled.

"You didn't know you were a wizard? Every wizard and witch on the world knows your name. Heck my sister has been falling asleep to your story since she was like two years old."

"When did she stop?" asked Harry getting a little uncomfortable.

"What makes you think she has?" was Ron's smirking reply.

Harry gave a moan indicating he was rather embarrassed.

They spent the next few minutes in silence again. All of a sudden, a small rodent head poked out of Ron's shirt pocket sniffing around.

"This is Scabbers. My pet rat. Well, he was Percy's but my parents bought him an owl this year because he made prefect, and well they couldn't aff ... I mean so now he's mine."

"Yeah, I know about hand me downs. Until I came to the wizarding world I hadn't had a single piece of new clothing. Everything I had ever owned was a hand me down from my cousin and well, he's about three times my size."

Harry went on to explain his life on Private Drive. How he had never received a birthday present or a Christmas present.

The food trolley passed by and Harry, having only sampled a few wizarding treats, bought a bit of everything so he could share with his new friend. Ron was a little hesitant at first but eventually dug in as well. He explained to Harry about chocolate frog cards and Harry discovered a card for Albus Dumbledore.

"Oh! I got a Dumbledore!"

"Yeah, I have a bunch of those. He's real popular." was Ron's reply.

Harry turned over his card and read:

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS

Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling. Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.

"He's gone!"

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it? You can start collecting."

"Wow. That's what he looks like in robes. He looks real different in a muggle suit."

"You met him and he was wearing a muggle suit? Why?"

Harry explained that Dumbledore had to go and talk to the Dursleys so he could go to Hogwarts.

"They were going to stop you from coming to Hogwarts? Don't they know your famous here?"

"I don't think they know that or I'm sure they would try to profit from it."

A young man with a pudgy face poked his head into their compartment.

"Uhmm, have any of you seen Trevor? He's my toad and he's run off again."

"Sorry mate, haven't seen him." answered Ron.

"You might want to ask some of the older students if they can use magic to find him for you."

"Ok. Well if you see him, let me know."

After a few more moments of silence Harry started asking Ron about the wizarding world and his family. It was obvious that Ron was a little ashamed that his family was poor but he talked at great lengths about his home 'The Burrow' and about his various brothers and their occupations. Harry soaked it all in. Silias was good for factual knowledge but it had very little in the way of everyday life as a wizard. It was the difference between reading a report on casualties in a war and reading the account of the individual soldiers. Ron seemed to warm up to Harry after this.

Apparently Ron's whole family was magical. Considering the size of his family that was rather impressive. Ron had no less than five brothers and one sister. The only non magical person in the Weasley clan was his mothers second cousin who was an accountant.

"You must know a ton of spells then."

"Well the twins gave me one. It's supposed to change Scabbers's color."

"Well, give it a try. Your brothers did some magic on the train and told me that it was allowed."

Ron rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.

"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway"

He had just raised his 'wand when the compartment door slid open again.

The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."

She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.

"Er -- all right."

He cleared his throat.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

A spark of magic jumped from the tip of his wand and shocked Scabbers.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard -- I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough -- I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you."

She said all this very fast.

Harry looked at Ron who looked rather apprehensive. The odds were that Ron had not learned all the books by heart like Harry and this Hermione girl had.

"Well, I haven't memorized all the books but I did have a boring summer so I did read up quite a bit. I've only done one spell and that was at Ollivanders when I got my wand. How come you didn't get expelled for under-aged magic?" was Harry's reply.

Ron looked at Harry. Apparently his statement that he had read some of the books and had done at least one spell was making him even more nervous.

Harry had a nagging suspicion that Ron had not even opened a single book yet.

"Well, I did receive a warning but seeing that we were new to the wizarding world, it won't be held against me. We really didn't know there was such a restriction. I wonder how they track under aged magic."

"They have a magical sensor outside muggleborn or muggleraised witches and wizards houses to track for magical use."

"Really? That's a little prejudices isn't it? I mean, that means purebloods can do magic without repercussions."

"I'm not sure were supposed to know this." Harry interjected worriedly.

'No, you are not supposed to have access to this information.'

"Well. This is my friend Ron Weasley." Harry pointed to Ron "And I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course – I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

"Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in?

I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."

And she left, taking the toad less boy with her.

"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell -- George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."

"She sure is enthusiastic." replied Harry still trying to recuperate for the rapid barrage of questions and comments they had been subjected to.

"What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry.

"My whole family has been in Gryffindor so I'll probably end up there. I heard it doesn't really work like that and has something to do with who you are inside but I think that's where I'll end up. After listening to the two of you chat, " he said nodding his head at the door where Hermione had just left. "I don't think I'll end up in Ravenclaw. I haven't even opened my books yet. Hufflepuff would be O.K. but if I get sorted into Slytherin I think I'll just ask my mom to come and get me and home school me instead."

"That's the house that Volder-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in."

"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.

"Too bad we won't end up in the same house."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, your obviously going to end up in Ravenclaw. You and that Granger girl."

"It's funny, your brothers said the same thing but I don't think I'm cut out to be in a house full of smart people. I think I'm fairly smart but really I don't want to spend all my time with my nose in a book. I just did it this summer cause it was a good way to stay out of my relatives way and well all this is new to me."

"Oh, well that's different then." Ron looked happier at this.

Harry asked Ron about the kind of work that his brothers and his father did. His father working for the missuse of muggle artefacts office, Charlie working with dragons and Bill working at Gringots in Egypt.

"Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the muggles -- someone tried to rob a high security vault."

Harry stared.

"Really? What happened to them? Did they get eaten by the dragons or sucked into a vault?"

"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."

Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You- Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.

"Yeah, Hagrid mentioned that he didn't think that Vold- I mean, you-know-who was really killed. He thinks that he was not human enough anymore to really die."

"So, what's your favorite Quidditch team?" asked Ron in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

"I don't really know. My information is about ten years old since all I have are my fathers journals."

"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world --" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money.

They were just exchanging tips on the finer parts of the game, Ron's knowledge was much better than Harry's, when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toad less boy, or Hermione Granger this time.

Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.

Harry gave a small sigh of resignation.

"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.

Based on the information he had read in his fathers journals, Harry had discovered that the Malfoys were suspected to have supported Voldermort.

Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."

Both Harry and Ron stood up.

"Well, that will surely make me want to be your friend!" replied Harry sarcastically.

"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.

"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.

"But we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."

Harry whipped out his wand from his back pocket and pointed it threateningly at the three boys. He had learned a few offensive spells from the Silias. True, he hadn't tried any of them yet but he knew there was no way they could take them on in a fist fight. Malfoy's two goon were as big as Dudley.

"And what do you think your going to do with that? You can't possibly know any spells yet. School hasn't started yet."

Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.

Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle.

Harry swished his wand and threw out the first spell that came to mind from his rather limited repertoire. "RICTUSEMPRA!"

Crabbe fell to the ground in fits of laughter. Malfoy, seeing that he was now outnumbered two to one grabbed hold of Crabbe and backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. A second later, Hermione Granger came in.

"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.

"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No -- I don't believe it -- he's gone back to sleep-"

And so he had.

"You've met Malfoy before?"

Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.

"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side."

"Yeah, that's what my dad's journal says."

Ron turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"

"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there! You've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?" she said again in a rapid fire way that left no time to retort while pointing at Ron's nose.

"Would you mind leaving while we change?" Ron said , scowling at her.

_"People are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors,"_ they could hear Hermione mumble in a sniffy voice as she walked away from their compartment.

"That was bloody brilliant by the way mate. That tickling charm took Malfoy's goon out of the fight real quick." said Ron as they changed into their school uniforms.

"First time I ever try it. Glad it worked. I think they would have beat us up pretty good. Good thing Scabbers was here." said Harry giving the rat a gentle pat.

'Bravo, bravo! That's they way to put the bully in his place.'

Harry nearly jumped up from his seat. Silias had been so quiet until that moment he had almost forgotten he was there.

'I am glad to see that I haven't been wasting my time these past few weeks.'

They stuffed their pockets with as much sweets as they could and packed their belongings. Their trunks were to be left on board and would be taken to the castle and to their dormitories during the welcoming feast.

As they stepped out of the Express, Harry noticed Hagrid huge bushy head bobbing over the sea of students. Hagrid was calling to the students.

"Firs' years. Firs' years over 'ere!"

He greeted Harry and guided them all to boats that would take them to Hogwarts via the lake.

Their first view of Hogwarts would be a memorable one. The night was perfect, the sky was clear and the moon shone just behind the castle sitting on the cliffs. The water was calm and every single students gazed in amazement at the castle that would be their home for the next seven years.

Finally, they docked on the shores of the lake and walked up to the main entrance of the castle where they were greeted by the deputy headmistress, Minerva McGonagall.


	15. Chapter 14: The Sorting

The Sorting

The intimidating deputy headmistress stood before the assembled first year student. She was an intimidating sight to behold standing a few steps above the students, her hair tied in a strict bun, dressed emerald robes, her lips thin as she gazed at the students with a piercing look. This was quite obviously not someone you wanted to cross.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She guided the students into the entrance hall.

Once inside the entrance hall she turned back to the new students who were huddled closer than they normally would. They were cowed by the intimidating atmosphere of the ancient castle.

She proceeded to explain about the sorting, the school houses and the house cup.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall.

"Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

'A test?' Harry tought.

'I'm not saying. You don't need my help or guidance for this bit.'

He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.

He was sure he had heard someone else further back say something about wrestling a troll.

"Look you lot. It can't possibly be a test about magic or else they would have warned us. I mean many of us here are either muggle born or raised and can't possibly know much magic."

Draco Malfoy snorted in laughter at this.

"Well, it would be a good way to get rid of the filth around here."

Harry stared at Malfoy who simply smirked at him. The students had lost their nervousness and there was now a mix of anger and anticipation in there. Thankfully a small scream from behind Harry diffused the situation before it could escalate into a brawl.

"What the --?"

Harry gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance --"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

The ghosts wished them luck with the sorting and continued on their way.

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

The students got in line and Harry found himself sandwiched by Neville and Ron and for some reason he felt that this had not been accidental on their part.

McGonagall open the double doors to the great hall.

Harry was flabbergasted. He had never imagined that such a room could ever exist. The room had four long tables with students sitting at them and the end, on a dais was a another table for the staff. They sat with their back to the wall staring at the students. The hall was currently illuminated by the soft glow of thousands of floating candles. Adding their own eerie light the the candle light were the ghosts, sitting at various places amongst the students. The most amazing part of the hall was it's ceiling.

Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.

The students were guided to the dais where professor McGonagall had placed a stool. On this stool she put a battered, leather, wizard's hat.

Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing -- noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth -- and the hat began to sing:

AN: You all know the song so I won't bother putting it here. I've purloined enough of JK's works as it is. :)

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

The hat began to sort the students by yelling out the name of their house. Sometimes, the hat would shout out the name quickly but other times it would take some time to determine what house the student would go to.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned.

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."

Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.

There weren't many people left now. "Moon" "Nott" "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then, at last -- "Potter, Harry!"

Up until that point, people at the various tables had been chatting quietly, either greeting the new students or getting quietly re-acquainted with old friends. But as Harry's name was called out, every head turned to stare at him and a few whispers could be heard.

"Potter? Did she say Harry Potter?"

Harry felt queasy. He thought back to the incident at the zoo with the Boa constrictor. He had, had an interesting conversation with it about it's life in captivity. Off course, that was after he had recovered from the shock of actually having a conversation with a snake. It was annoyed with all the people looking in at it, expecting it to do things, watching it's every move. Harry now had a better understanding of what it had meant and how it had felt. He was rather happy he had accidentally freed it, even if it did result in him getting severely punished when Dudley's friend, Peirs Polkins, told the Dursleys he had been talking to the snake.

The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he

was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited. Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, A my goodness, yes -- and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"

'I have a choice?' Harry thought and amazingly enough the hat answered back.

'Finally, someone thinks to answer back instead of just sitting there petrified. Of course you have some say into where you will end up. I am open to suggestions if they are accompanied by a good logical argument.' The hat replied sounding rather pleased.

'Well, I don't really feel too brave so I guess Gryffindor is out. I'm smart but I don't think I'm smart enough for Ravenclaw so I guess it would have to be Hufflepuff.' Harry thought rather sadly.

'What about Slytherin?'

"Are you MAD?" this was said out loud and Harry could hear the whispers become louder in the hall.

'Now, now Mr. Potter no need to be insulting.' chided the hat with a hint of humor.

'I know, I keep trying to teach him some manners but to no avail.'

'Silias, he wanted to put me in Slytherin!'

'My it's getting crowded in here isn't it Mr. Potter.' chuckled the voice of the hat. 'Not Slytherin, eh?' said the small voice. 'Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that'

'That's if I don't get killed by my house mates. I've read some of my fathers journals. I skipped to the last one to get an idea of what the world was like before they .. before they died and half the students that got sorted in Slytherin today have parents that were either known or suspected death eaters. At best I'd be fighting every day of my life against my own house mates for the next seven years and at worst I'd get killed in my sleep!' replied Harry in a panic.

'The sins of the father eh Potter?'

Harry was not quite sure what the hat meant by that.

'Tell me Potter, do you think that all these children are evil because their fathers were?'

Harry thought long and hard about this. Malfoy was sure a git and seemed to have espoused his fathers pureblood views but did this apply to all of them?

'I don't think they all are. I mean, they might not agree with their parents views but you have just sorted Crabb, Goyle and Malfoy. You can't tell me that they don't agree with their parents.'

'Hummm, you have a point there I guess. It's too bad, you could have done a lot to help improve the image of Slytherin House and in return it would have helped you on your path. But there are other paths that can be followed. Well, if you don't think your Slytherin material then ...'

"GRYFFINDOR!" cried out the hat.

Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.

Harry looked to the high table and Hagrid gave him a quick wink of encouragement. Dumbledore was sitting on a large golden chair and Harry could not believe how different he looked dressed in robes that even most wizards would consider outlandish. Harry recognized also professor Quirell from the leaky cauldron. The professor was still wearing his large purple turban and was dressed in elegant, matching robes.

It was Ron's turn to be sorted and he was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.

"Is he -- a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly.

"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"

The feast was magnificent and very, very magical. Harry met the resident ghost and managed to eat more than his fill which compared to Ron was almost nothing but then again he was still used to the small meals he had been getting at Private Drive.

The new students were all introducing themselves and explaining about their families. Seamus Finnigan explained about his father being a muggle and his mom a witch.

Neville explained that he was being raised by his grandmother and how his family thought he was a squib and tried to force some magic out of him in some rather ridiculous ways. Remembering his parents letter, Harry decided to try to find out what had happened to Nevilles parents.

Somewhere further down the table he heard a second year student mention that one of Malfoys flunkies had wet themselves on the train and Harry hoped that it was due to his tickling charm.

Harry decided to share a bit of information with his own house mates and related the time he had found himself on the rooftop of the school while running from Dudley and his gang. Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet that could have doubled as a carafe for any other man. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.

It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes -- and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.

"What is it?" asked Percy.

"N-nothing."

The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look -- a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.

'HOW DARE HE!' Came Silias's outraged voice.

Harry looked around to make sure no one was paying much attention to him, took hold of his amulet and quickly closed his eyes.

'What was that?'

'Someone tried to invade your mind! I cannot do much to affect the outside world but in here I do have some power. I threw myself in the way to sever any possible connection. I can't believe that teacher used Legilimency on you like that!'

'Legilimency?'

'Legilimency and Occlumency: The arts of the minde. We will talk about it later when you are in bed. This is magic that needs to be practiced so I can't simply teach it to you subliminally. Now get back to your feast, I'll watch over your mind.'

Satisfied with this information for now, Harry returned his attention to the feast.

"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.

"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to -- everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again.

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahern -- just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you."

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. That is all now we shall sing the school song."

Here, the other teachers expressions changed. Their smiles appeared faked and strained and the potion master started rubbing his forehead with one hand. The song was the most ludicrous school song Harry had ever heard before. The words were bad enough but on top of that everyone sang it to their own tune with the Weasley twins singing it to a mournful funeral march.

Finally the meal was done and the students were sent to their common rooms. The Gryffindors followed Percy to their tower and were unfortunate enough to stumble on Peeves the castle poltergeist. Percy introduced them to the Fat Lady, the painting guarding their common room, and explained about the passwords.

Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase -- they were obviously in one of the towers -- they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.

"Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings.

"Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."

Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he was already asleep snoring loudly.

Harry was still to energized by the apparent attack on his mind from a professor to get to sleep and decided to talk to Silias about it. He laid down under the covers and took hold of Silias.

'Ok, so what was that all about?'

'Legilimency: Legilimency, is the ability to extract emotions and memories from another person's mind. Although the word literally translates as 'mind-reading', this is considered a naive interpretation of the art by its practitioners. Someone who practices Legilimency is known as a Legilimens.

Legilimency is easier when the spell-caster is physically near the target, and when the target is off-guard, relaxed, or otherwise vulnerable. Eye contact is often essential, so it is useful for a Legilimens to verbally manipulate his or her target into meeting the Legilimens' eyes, with the fringe benefit that the target's emotional state may bring relevant associated memories to the surface. All of this seems to tally quite nicely with what is known of the nature of human memory in Muggle science.

A beginning Legilimens, or one requiring a bit more power behind the skill must use the incantation of the same name: **Legilimens (le-JIL-i-menz).**

There are a few ways to defend against Legilimency, the most immediate way is to not look anyone in the eye but as that is not the most practical of defenses one is recommended to learn the arte of Occlumency or the arte of hiding, occluding, ones mind.'

Following this bit of information were a series of exercises meant to help one learn the art of Legilimency.

'Well, that certainly fits with what happened tonight.' Harry thought to himself.

'Yes, now there are a few ways to defend yourself from Legilimency. Occlumency:

occulto - (Latin) to hide, conceal, cover (the English word 'occlude' comes from this root, as well as the modern astronomy terms about one celestial body hiding another from view)  
mens - (Latin) mind

Occlumency is the arte of magically defending the mind against external penetration, sealing it against magical intrusion and influence - the defensive counter to Legilimency among other things. A practitioner of Occlumency is referred to as an Occlumens.

Occlumency is a necessary prerequisite to defeat a Legilimens' lie-detector abilities without suspicious behavior such as avoiding face-to-face contact and eye contact. Elementary Occlumency involves clearing the mind of thought and emotion, so that the Legilimens can find no emotional ties to memories that the target wishes to conceal. Simple resistance to attack requires similar skills to those needed to resist the Imperius Curse. In its more advanced form, Occlumency allows the user to suppress only feelings and memories that contradict what the user wishes a Legilimens to believe, thus allowing the Occlumens to lie without self-betrayal.

There are many other advantages to learning Occlumency. The arte allows one to better organize his or her thoughts helping them in every day activities; dealing with dreams, nightmares and visions; and helping them with both short and long-term memory.

Occlumency is not truly a spell and even muggles may learn it. Occlumency is more of a state of mind.'

Following this information were exercises geared towards learning the art of Occlumency. Most of it appeared to be meditation exercises, clearing ones mind of thought or emotion and the organizing of ones thoughts.

'Wow. That sounds hard.'

'It is but really I think it best we incorporate this into your training. It will help you protect yourself against one of the three unforgivables. Imperius Curse: "impero" L. order, govern, command

One of the Unforgivable Curses, and arguably the worst, this spell causes the victim to be completely under the command of the caster, who can make the victim do anything the caster wishes. The victim's will is completely overwhelmed by the caster. A victim of the Imperius could be forced to kill his own family, commit suicide, surrender themselves to the authorities for crimes they did not commit.

The curse can be fought by even those who have not mastered Occlumency but it is very difficult to do so. One must have an incredible strength of will and conviction to overcome this curse. One indication of someone fighting the Imperius is erratic behavior. The victim who is trying to fight the curse will act in strange ways and could be thought to have gone insane. Another indication are the eyes. They say that the eyes are the windows of the soul and as the imperious curse overwhelms the soul, it can be seen by a dulling of the eyes tough this is a more difficult method of detection.'

All this information terrified Harry and he decided that he would not waste any time and would start learning how to Occlude his mind as soon as possible. Even if he had not suspected his potions teacher from attempting to read his mind, after reading about the Imperius curse he decided that it would be beyond foolish not to learn to shield ones mind. On top of that it appeared that Occlumency would benefit him with his schoolwork as well.

'Go to sleep now. I'll teach you what I can through Psychopedia and then we can work on exercises later.'

And with that Harry fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 15: Potions

Potions

Harry was bored. There was just no other way to say it.

The castle was amazing, if a little bit of a maze and Harry found himself using the amulet quite often to find the best routes to the various classes. Apparently his parents were very familiar with all of the secret passages of the castle and using this information, Harry was able to get to all his classes with a minimum of fuss. On one occasion, Harry was guiding Ron through a dusty secret passage when they bumped into his brothers Fred and George.

The twins looked at their brother and Harry in surprise.

"Well, what do we have here oh Gred?"

"Well it looks like we have some stalwart explorers on our hands here Forge."

The twins looked ecstatic at finding them both in the secret passage.

"How did you ..."

"... find this passage anyways?"

They asked.

"I don't know" came Ron's answer. "Harry just dragged me in here, said it was a faster way to the great hall." He shrugged his shoulders.

"And right he is little brother. And right he is." And with that they parted ways, the twins speaking in animated whispers while casting quick glances at the two other occupants of the corridor.

No, the castle itself was not the problem. It was the classes.

Harry discovered that he, along with Hermione, was well ahead of the rest of his year in all his subject except for History of Magic and Astronomy.

Defense against the Dark Arts was a joke and Professor Quirell's teaching method was tedious and boring. Actually, the whole class was very disappointed. Professor Quirell did not seem to know what he was saying and when Seamus Finnigan asked how Quirell had fought off a zombie for an African prince, the professor changed the subject.

Herbology was exciting if fairly easy after Harry's many years in the Dursley garden.

Charms with Professor Flitwick was certainly entertaining but very, very easy.

History of Magic was beyond boring and was taught by a ghost. Apparently professor Binns had died one night and simply come in the next morning to teach class anyways. The ghost droned on and on about goblin rebellions and Harry noticed that even Hermione Granger was having trouble focusing. Harry took the time afforded by this class to continue training for Occlumency.

Professor McGonagall was again different. Harry had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle.

Harry managed it midway into the lesson but kept quiet about it since he noticed that no one else had managed any of it. He had studied it with Silias that first night after finding the trunk after all.

By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.

Finally, Friday rolled around. Just one more day and they would have the week-end to themselves.

"What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them -- we'll be able to see if it's true."

"Wish McGonagall favored us, " said Harry. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.

Just then, the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.

Hedwig hadn't brought Harry anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls. This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Harry's plate. Harry tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:

Dear Harry,

I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?

I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.

Hagrid

Harry took out one of his fountain pens, scribbled Yes, please, see you later on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again. Many of the purebloods stared at the strange writing implement and started asking the muggleborns they knew about it.

It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far.

Potions took place in the dungeons and Harry found that to be rather fitting since the teacher resembled a vampire. Harry had a quick picture of Severus Snape decked out in full 'Goth' regalia and laughed internally, the look would actually suit him. By the end of the first lesson Harry came to two conclusions. One, Snape did not simply dislike him, he hated him and two, Snape practiced Legilimency on the students with great abandon.

Unfortunately for Harry. One week of hard study in Occlumency was not enough to help much with the potion masters casual raping of his mind but at least it allowed him to be aware that it was happening.

Snape latched on to Harry right at the start of class and did not stop verbally abusing him until the end of class bell. Of course, Harry had a few tricks of his own up his sleeve.

Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and he paused at Harry's name.

"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new -- celebrity."

Some of the Slytherins sniggered at this but Harry ignored them. He needed to keep his wits about so he would not be goaded into staring into the potion masters eyes.

The potions master then went on a rant about the 'subtle science and exact art that was potions making' and went on to talk about the beauty of softly simmering cauldrons' and the likes, really the professor sounded like he was IN LOVE with potions and needed to get out more. He also peppered his speech with random insults at the students not in Slytherin.

Finally came the time that Harry knew would arrive. He had dealt with bullies for much of his life and was getting pretty good at predicting their attacks.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"Humm. Well, the Draught of Living Death uses those ingredients sir." replied Harry.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer.

Hermione lowered her hand and stared at Harry.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"A goats stomach. Pretty useful for quickly neutralizing most poisons."

Snape looked highly annoyed.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"Nothing. They are the same thing and I think it's also known as Aconite ... sir."

Hermione looked at Harry with wide eyes. Actually, most of the students did as most of them would not have been able to answer these questions so well or so quickly.

"Two points from Gryffindor for cheating Potter. Well, what are you all waiting for! Write this down."

The rest of the lesson did not improve for the non-Slytherins. The professor had paired the students, written instructions for a potion on the blackboard and yelled at them to get to it. He then proceeded to berate every single last one of them on their incompetence in potion making. Well everyone except for Malfoy who seemed to be the teachers pet.

Harry managed to avoid a catastrophe when he noticed that Neville and Seamus were about to add porcupine quills while the pot was still on the fire. He wasn't sure what would happen but he was sure it was NOT part of the instructions. And if cooking for the Dursleys since he was six had thought him anything at all, it was that you needed to follow instructions carefully.

"Potter! I have paired you with Weasley not with Longbottom and Finnigan. Two more points for interfering."

Harry was having trouble controlling his temper now. This was very unfair. Ron looked worried but seeing that Harry did not react more he continued with their potion.

'He dares call himself a teacher?' Silias's voice was indignant.

Harry of course could not respond mentally but quietly, as if talking to himself, said. "What can you do?" and shrugged his shoulders.

'What can I do? What can I do? I'll tell you what I can do, I can teach, unlike that overgrown bully. Stir it twice more. I'm not supposed to interfere directly in your classes but this is no class.'

As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost four points for Gryffindor in his very first week -- why did Snape hate him so much? "Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"

Harry nodded his ascent while thinking of what to do about the potions master. Once he had mastered Occlumency, maybe he would start on Legilimency and turn the old bats own tricks back on him. Or maybe he should simply report the professor to his head of house or the headmaster. Maybe he should write to Griffhack and find out what his legal recourse was just in case.

The visit with Hagrid went rather well even if Harry was not very chatty. Hagrid had a good relationship with all the Weasleys, even Fred and George. Harry noticed a clipping on the table. Apparently Gringotts had been broken into on the day he and Hagrid had been there and the vault that had been robbed was most likely the vault Hagrid had visited but it was really none of his business. It was Hogwarts business and Dumbledor was not considered the greatest wizard alive for nothing so he put that out of his mind and pondered the enigma that was Severus Snape.

Harry did get a good laugh when he noticed that Griffhack was the goblin quoted on the Daily Prophet.

_Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day._

_"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon._

Hagrid looked at what Harry was reading and suddenly went a little green.

"Ah! That's where tha went. Mind handin' tha over 'ere 'Arry?"

"Don't worry Hagrid. To quote a very wise man. 'It be more than me jobs worth to tell ye tha'.'" replied Harry as he handed over the clipping.

Ron looked confused but didn't ask any questions. Hagrid laughed.

As he handed the clipping over, Harry noticed another article on the table.

HARRY POTTER SIGHTED

By: Reta Skeeter.

Harry Potter, was spotted yesterday at various shops in Diagon Alley apparently shopping for his school supplies. The-Boy-Who-Lived was accompanied by one Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts. One must wonder why the gamekeeper of Hogwarts was accompanying Mr. Potter for his shopping and not his relatives. As most of our readers know, Mr. Potter was put into hiding in the muggle world with his muggle aunt and uncle the very same night he defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

This is the first confirmed sighting of The-Boy-Who-Lived since that fateful Halloween ten years ago.

Mr. Potter gave quite a few witches, and not a few goblins, a shock yesterday when he visited his vaults at Gringotts Bank. The young prodigy addressed the goblins in their own language. Apparently, Mr. Potter has been receiving some coaching while in exile and this reporter is worried. I ask you my faithful readers, who has been coaching him and for what purpose? Mr. Potters upbringing is a complete mystery and one has to wonder why that is so.

The article went on to detail the shops Harry had visited and included comments from many of the shop owners. All of them were in the same vein.

"Mr. Potter was very polite and well mannered. Not at all like one would expect a celebrity to act at all. He just seemed to be like all the other kids I get in here for school robes."

A red faced Harry gave that article to Hagrid as well.

"So Hagrid. Any idea why professor Snape hates me?" asked Harry.

"I don't know what you talking about 'Arry." Replied Hagrid but he did not quite meet Harry's eyes as he said this.

They left Hagrid a while later and headed back to the Gryffindor common room. Ron challenged Seamus to a game of wizarding chess, a rather violent version of normal chess where the pieces actually smashed each other, and Harry started writing his first letter to Ron's sister Ginny.

_Hey Ginny, _

_Sorry it took me so long to write to you. It took me some time to adapt to life here. It's so different from what I'm used to having grown up with muggles and I still feel overwhelmed by some of the things I see here. I really think that the school should offer muggle born or raised witches and wizards some kind of introduction to the wizarding world instead of just throwing us in like this._

_You will be happy, or maybe not, to know that I made friends with your brother Ron. He's pretty cool and we have a lot of fun._

_Classes are pretty easy, but don't tell your brother I said that. I've included a copy of my notes from potions and transfiguration. Don't worry about getting them back to me, I found a cool spell that copies text for you. I'm sending this to you so you can get an idea of what you will be learning in your first year and to prepare you for the worst teacher I have ever met, Professor Snape. Professor Snape seems to hate me. He tried to trap me in our first class by asking me a bunch of questions about things we are supposed TO LEARN in his class. Thankfully I had a boring summer and had done some reading ahead of time and was able to answer him but when I did he took two points of for cheating and when I stopped some of my house mates from blowing up their cauldron, he took two more points for interfering. I have this strange feeling that he hates me. I asked Hagrid, that's the grounds keeper here, if he knew why and he said he didn't but I think he's lying which is strange because I think he wants to be my friend._

_Professor McGonagall is simply amazing. She's strict but she's ... actually I think I'll keep that as a surprise. Let's just say something cool happens in her first class._

_Professor Flitwick is a really good teacher. He's really enthusiastic about his classes and makes everything fun._

_Professor Binns is a ghost and very, very boring. Even Hermione Granger, a real bookworm who seems to have memorized all of our schoolbooks, has trouble staying awake in his class and I think she's the only one to have ANY notes at all._

_Defense Against the Dark Arts is a joke. The professor isn't really teaching us anything and I think he's afraid of us._

_I got sorted in Gryffindor! Not sure how that happened. I never knew that trolls were so easy to fight off and only three people ended up in the hospital wing._

_Let me know if you want copies of my notes from my other classes and I'll send them off to you. I'm not sure how bored you are at home alone so if it helps you pass the time, I'm willing to send of a copy to you. Oh and remember, potion making is not considered doing magic so it's something you can do at home and not get in trouble with the ministry with for underage magic._

_I'd like to thank you again for your help at the platform. And I guess I'll write to you again soon._

_Harry Potter._

_P.S.: If you want to write back, you can keep Hedwig for a day or two. I don't really have anyone else to write to so I'm sure she would be happy to wait a bit for some more work._

Harry sealed the letter with his parents seal and sent it off with Hedwig. The snowy owl spent most of it's time in his dorm instead of the owlery. He gave a small chuckle at his joke about fighting off trolls. Seeing how Gred and Forge had been spreading rumors about trolls to their siblings, having it from another source would reinforce that belief. Hopefully she would not be mad with him come the start of her first year, next year. Harry would have told her about the sorting hat but they were told by their head of house not to.


	17. Chapter 16: Flying Lessons

Flying Lessons

Harry was very excited. He had woken up on Monday morning ready for another week of un-challenging classwork. He had worked most of the week-end on Occlumency and felt he was starting to get a good grasp of it. Harry was not sure if he was actually managing to occlude his mind since he did not have any way of testing his defenses but he found that the exercises were great for helping him focus and found that his retention of information was improving greatly.

Silias had quizzed him on some of the Subliminal Learning and estimated that Harry was retaining about eighty percent of the subliminal teaching. This apparently was a very good thing.

Harry was in a good mood because of the announcement on the bulletin board. The flying lessons would start on Thursday. He had been waiting for this moment since he had first discovered about flying the day he had received his letters from Hogwarts. The one thing putting a damper on his enthusiasm was that they shared this class with the Slytherins or more specifically with Malfoy and his cronies.

Harry never would have believed he could find someone he hated more than Dudley Dursley but Malfoy had managed to achieve this in mere weeks where Dudley at least had a decade to accumulate that much hate.

"Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."

He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.

"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."

Harry considered this. Up until now, Malfoy had mainly been all talk. He liked to talk big and intimidate people but when push came to shove he folded quickly.

At breakfast on Thursday, almost all the first year Gryffindor's were talking about the flying classes. The purebloods or halfbloods talking about their own flying experiences with the muggleborns hanging on their every word. Neville and Hermione appeared very nervous and were sitting close to each other going over various books on flying with Hermione lecturing people on the information she found there. Everybody, other than Neville, was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.

Harry hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course. Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.

To his surprise, Hedwig came flying in with a large letter for Harry. She landed in front of her master, pecking gently at his fingers while he tried to remove his package. The girls at the table all stopped what they were doing to 'oooh' and 'ahhh' at the beautiful bird.

"Who's the letter from Harry?" asked Ron.

Harry looked at the package and answered. "Your sister."

Ron who was in the middle of taking a gulp of Pumpkin Juice spurted it out all over Dean Thomas who cried out in dismay.

Harry, oblivious to Dean's impromptu shower, opened the letter and started reading.

_Dear Harry,_

_Thank you for the note, it was really appreciated since it gave me something to do other than clean. My mother, not having Ron to distract her, has decided that idle hands are the tools of you-know-who and has decided that The Burrow, that's our home, needed a major cleaning._

_Congrats on making it to Gryffindor! That's where my whole family ended up. I feel quite a bit of pressure to make it into that house next year so I don't disappoint my parents. Really, I don't think they would really mind where I ended up as long as it was not in Slytherin. I think if I get sorted in Slytherin I'll just leave school and get mom to home school me._

This made Harry laugh out loud.

"Oy! Ron, your sister says if she gets sorted in Slytherin she'll ask your mom to home school her. Sounds familiar?"

_Thanks for your notes. It gave me something to read. I would love it if you could send me more. Like you, my time before school is going to be pretty boring so why not spend some of it getting ready for my classes._

_As for the professors, I already knew about them seeing as I have five brothers who went/are going to Hogwarts. I say five but really it's six. I didn't count Ron because the prat hasn't written to me yet. Even Percy has written me._

Harry chuckled. "Oy! Ron, write your sister you prat!"

_Professor Snape is nasty with everyone but from what you are telling me, it does sound like he has it in for you. Well tough luck, your stuck with him for at least another five years._

_I really wished I knew what was so special about Professor McGonagall but no one will tell me._

_Thank you for the information on potions not being restricted. I already knew about this since my brothers, Fred and George, both spend most of the summer brewing various concoctions for their pranks but it's the thought that counts._

_By the way, I think my mom fell in love with your owl, your lucky you ever got her back._

_Ok well I'm just rambling now so I'll let you go. Hope to hear from you soon._

_Ginny Weasley_

Harry folded the letter and placed it inside one of his books. It would go into his box of letters after class.

"Harry, why are you writing to my sister?" Ron asked a little confused while Dean was trying to dry out his robes without setting them on fire.

"She helped me on to 9 ¾ on the first. I asked her if I could write her. Good thing I did too, she sounds lonely and she's angry with you for not writing her yet. Even Percy has written her."

"Oh." Ron looked appropriately contrite at this point.

At that point Harry heard Neville cry out.

"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things – this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red -- oh..." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "You've forgotten something..."

Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.

Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.

"What's going on?"

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."

Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.

"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.

The rest of the day passed on without incident and at three-thirty the Gryffindors found themselves on the grounds of the school with the flying instructor Madame Hooch.

It was a perfect day to learn how to fly. It was nice and sunny with a small gentle breeze. If the Slytherins had not been there it would have been a perfect day but unfortunately, they were there and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.

Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles. He wondered if this broom had been brought to the school by the founders themselves.

Harry looked around at his class mates. Neville was white as a sheet and Hermione Granger looked like she was she going to have a heart attack. Most of the Gryffindors looked eager to get to the sky while the Slytherins either showed no emotion or eagerness.

"Hermione, just calm down." Harry told the hyperventilating witch.

"Easy for you to say, with your dad being a chaser for Gryffindor." she replied.

"Yes well, seeing how I never met my dad, that could not be of much use to me now could it?" He asked with a bit of anger.

Hermione looked at Harry with regret in her eyes.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!"'

"UP! everyone shouted."

Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all.

"Hermione, Neville. You both need to calm down. Flying a broomstick is all about your state of mind and right now I don't think you'll be able to get you broom to respond at all."

They both looked at him and how his broom had jumped straight to his hand. Hermione took a few calming breaths and gently but firmly cried out "Up!" and amazingly enough her broom rose to her hand, although a bit jerkily. Moments later Neville followed suit, his result was even worse than Hermione but at least his broom had made it to his hand.

"Excellent work on coaching your house mates Mr. Potter take two points for Gryffindor for a job well done." Cried out Mada Hooch looking very pleased.

Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips.

Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle – three -- two --"

Unfortunately, Neville was still very jumpy and he accidentally lift off the ground before the final count.

"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle -- twelve feet -- twenty feet. Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and start falling.

Harry quickly grabbed his wand from his pocket and shot out the only spell he knew that could possibly slow down the falling boy before he hurt himself.

"WINDGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"

With a swish and a flick Neville's descent was slowed drastically but still not completely. Harry found that he simply did not have the strength to slow down the boy more and he landed on his side instead of on his head.

A loud crack was heard as Neville hit the hard compacted earth.

Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.

"Broken wrist," Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, boy -- it's all right, up you get.".

She turned to the rest of the class.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."

Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.

No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?"

The other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."

"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

It was Neville's Remembrall.

"Hand that over Malfoy." Harry said in a cold threatening voice. He was floating on his broom with his feat dangling about half a foot over the ground with his wand still in his hand.

Malfoy's smirk slowly left his mouth as he had seen Harry do yet another bit of advanced magic. Granted it hadn't been very effective but still, they had yet to cover that spell in class.

He looked to his class mates for reassurance and his smirk returned a few seconds later.

Malfoy smiled nastily.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find -- how about -- up a tree?"

"Give it here!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!"

Harry was sorely tempted to go up there and knock the blond git off his broom but it was not worth getting expelled. After all, once they explained the situation to a teacher it would be Malfoy who would be in trouble.

"Not worth getting in trouble over Malfoy like you are. I believe Madame Hooch mentioned that anyone flying while she was gone would find themselves back on the Hogwarts Express."

Malfoy looked disgusted with Harry.

"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.

Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall without even thinking about it he leaned forward on his broom and shot off to intercept the glimmering ball. Harry could feel that the broom was not meant for such a maneuver and it was vibrating quite a bit.

He was gathering speed, racing the ball -- wind whistled in his ears -- he stretched out his hand -- a foot from the ground he caught it and he toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.

Harry turned around to look at his house mates who were very quiet for some reason and gulped. Standing there looking furious was Professor McGonagall. Thankfully, her ire was currently directed at another student.

"Mr. Malfoy! How dare you attempt to destroy another student's property. Also I believe that Madame Hooch instructed you to stay where you were and to not go on flying until she had returned. I do not care that your father is on the board of directors Mr. Malfoy. You can expect to be punished for this."

"What about Potter, you saw him, he was flying as well."

Here Pavarti Patil spoke up. "He was already about a foot off the ground when Neville hurt himself Professor."

"Yeah and he only went off just now because Malfoy was about to break Neville's Remembrall." Ron added.

The professor glared around at her students effectively quieting them.

"Mr. Malfoy, you will accompany me to your head of house and we will deal with this situation. Mr. Potter, are you injured?" she asked.

He shook his head in answer.

"Then we shall speak of this after supper this evening. The rest of you, stay put until Madame Hooch returns. Is that understood?"

The students all replied with a positive response, even the Slytherins. Malfoy and the professor both left to return to the castle.

To say that Madame hooch was annoyed would have been an understatement. Apparently, she had met with professor McGonagall on her way back from the hospital wing.

"Mr. Potter, I was going to assign you points for your quick wand work, nice job that by the way, but I was told that you flew while I was gone. Mine... I mean Professor McGonagall has explained to me that there were SOME extenuating circumstances so I'll simply leave it at that for now."

Apparently, the flying instructor was more annoyed with Malfoy than she was with him.

The rest of the lesson went quite well and the Slytherins behaved themselves. Harry found that he was a natural at flying. Seeing how comfortable he was on a broom, Madame Hooch allowed him to simply fly around for a bit on his own while she took care of the other students who needed a bit more coaching. Soon after that a few of the purebloods came and joined him, even some Slytherins, and started tossing about an orange someone had in their bag.

At supper that evening, a livid Malfoy approached Ron and Harry.

"You think your all that don't you Potter." spat the platinum blond.

Harry looked at the young Malfoy, flanked by his two monolithic goons.

"Malfoy, your the one always bragging in class. Your the one always trying to be the center of attention. Unfortunately for you, your all talk."

"Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often." To everyones surprise, this came from Hermione Granger.

"Who asked you, you filthy mudblood! Potter, wizards duel. Tonight at midnight."

Harry pondered this for a time.

'ACCEPT, ACCEPT! This little ponce is going down! I'm teaching you some nasty spells as we speak.' came Silias's excited voice.

"Fine. Ron your my second?"

"Sure mate. Who's yours Malfoy?"

The boy in question looked at his two goons.

"Crabbe. See you tonight Potter in the trophy room." And with this he walked away.

"Harry! You can't do this. You will get caught and you'll lose Gryffindor all the points I got from charms last class."

"Don't worry. I have an idea." and with that Harry turned around and started walking towards the his head of houses office.

'You have an idea?'

'Yes well if you told me to accept I have to assume that duels are legal right.'

'They probably still are yes.' Silias admitted hesitantly.

'What do you mean probably?'

'The brat needs a lesson in humility.'

'You know he's not going to show up right?'

'Oh! But ... but that's sneaky.'

'And he's in Slytherin.' Came Harry's exasperated reply.

Harry knocked on the transfiguration teacher's door and waited to be admitted.

"Ah! Mr. Potter, good for you to come so quickly." his head of house looked pleased by something. "We are simply waiting for wood to begin."

'Wood?' Harry thought to himself starting to get rather nervous. He didn't know that Hogwarts used corporal punishment. He had heard Filch mumble something about thumbscrews at some point but he hadn't thought about it beyond that.

"Tea Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded dumbly. He had no idea what was happening. How could she be offering him tea and be smiling at him like that when she was going to be possibly spanking him in a few moments? Was she insane? How could she be his mothers favorite teacher?

A knock interrupted his musings.

"Ah! And that would be Wood." She said happily.

"Come in Mr. Wood. Come in."

A rugged, good looking boy of about 15 or 16 entered the office.

"Good evening professor."

"Oliver, I would like to introduce you to your new seeker."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Wood was not some type of paddle but Oliver Wood, the Quidditch captain. He started to take a sip of his tea when suddenly he froze up.

"I'm sorry professor, but did you say I'm the new Seeker?" asked Harry. Surely he had mis-understood.

"Yes Mr. Potter. After that great catch you did with Mr. Longbottom's Remembrall it would be a shame to not have you on the team."

"Well, he does have the build for it. Small and slim. You said he caught a Remembrall? Was that your first time on a broom Potter?"

Harry again nodded dumbly.

"Well, I'll give you a try out tomorrow after supper."

Oliver turned back to the transfiguration teacher. "If he works out, we'll need to get him a better broom than what we have here. Maybe a new Cleansweep or if we can afford it a Nimbus."

Harry was having trouble processing this information. Silias's constant chanting of 'YOUNGEST SEEKER IN A CENTURY' was not helping.

"You mean that I get to be on the Quidditch team?"

The deputy headmistress gave a small chuckle. "Well yes Mr. Potter that's exactly what I am saying."

"But I thought I was to be punished for flying to catch that Remembrall."

"Some rules need to be broken sometimes Mr. Potter. The difficulty lies in knowing what rules to break and when. What you did, you did not do out of malice or out of a belief you were above the rules. You did it to help a friend and that should be rewarded. Also, you did not try to weasel your way out of a punishment but stood by your actions. Your potential position on the team is not a reward, we need a good seeker and I believe you have the potential to be one. Madame Hooch was going to assign you quite a few points for your fast reflexes with that levitation charm but since you DID break the rules we decided your punishment would simply be to not assign the points."

"Cool!"

They sat for a few minutes discussing things like classes and the likes when Harry remembered his duel with Malfoy.

"Professor?"

"Yes Mr. Potter?"

"Unless I'm mistaken, formal duels are still allowed here at Hogwarts to resolve disputes right? At least it was like that in my fathers days."

"Well," the professor was a little hesitant "the practice is discouraged but not banned. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Draco Malfoy just challenged me to a duel at midnight in the trophy room and I accepted."

Oliver Wood started choking on his tea.

"What possessed you to do that Mr. Potter?" asked a worried professor.

"Honestly? I don't think he'll actually show up. I think he just wants me there after curfew and he'll give a teacher a tip as to my presence there so I was wondering if I could have a permission slip for myself and my second to be there."

A small grin started to form on the strict transfiguration teachers face while Oliver Wood was openly laughing.

"I believe I shall do you one better Mr. Potter. I believe this duel should be supervised and so I will accompany you."

Harry walked out of his meeting in a daze. Not only was he not to be punished but he had some tryouts for the team the next evening.

At twenty minutes to eleven, Harry and Ron found themselves in the common room arguing with an angry Hermione Granger.

"You cannot do this! You will lose us more points. And you Ronald Weasley. I have half a mind to tell your brother about this. He's a prefect you know he'd put a stop to this."

Before either of the boys could reply, the portrait hole opened and in came Minerva McGonagall.

"Is there a problem here miss Granger?"

Hermione looked undecided.

"No. No there isn't professor."

"Good. Now Mr. Potter, are we ready for your duel? I gather that Mr Weasley here is your second?"

This question stunned both Hermione and Ron.

"Yes professor. And thank you again for overseeing the duel."

"Not a problem Mr. Potter. But I should warn you that the question of duels has been added to the agenda of the next teachers meeting and that they may be banned or strictly controlled in the future."

Hermione sat down hard on a stuffed chair in complete shock as the group left for their appointed duel.

As expected, Draco Malfoy did not show up but instead Argus Filtch made an appearance.

"Aha! So you caught them professor? Good, good. I hear that Hagrid is having trouble with unicorns being killed in the forest. I'm sure he could use some help tomorrow."

"I'm sorry Argus but I accompanied these young men here to attend a duel issued by Mr. Malfoy who apparently has decided not to attend. May I ask who informed you that these students would be here?"

"Malfoy? That bloody little ..."

"Argus! Please, there are children present."

"Sorry professor. Malfoy is the one that told me there would be trouble here. He said he heard someone say they were going to vandalize the trophy room."

"I believe that we shall have to look into this situation. Boys, you are free to return to your common room. Oh and please refrain from accepting any more duels until further notice."

Walking into the great hall, Harry noticed Malfoy looking at him in confusion. Then Argus Filtch, Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape approached the Slytherin boy and escorted him out of the great hall. Ron and Harry shared a satisfied smirk.

Harry sat down and told Ron of his chance at the Quidditch team. Ron was a little envious but still happy for his friend. His brothers, Fred and George, also came over to congratulate him on making the team.

"I haven't made the team yet guys. I still have to try out." complained Harry.

"Yes but Harry," started one of the twins.

"... that would only be a ..."

" ... problem if there were ..."

"any other candidates!" They finished unison.

Harry headed out to the pitch early that day, with Ron in tow, to get some practice in before he had to try to woo his potential captain.

Going through the old school brooms, Harry picked the one that looked to be in best shape and started to put it through it's paces trying to see how it responded. After a few minutes, he practiced a few dives and feints. Realizing he had already been in the air for a good twenty minutes Harry looked around to see an awe filled Oliver Wood, Ron Weasley as well as Fred and George.

"Oliver," said one of the twins. Harry was still trying to figure out which was which.

"That cup is as good as ours." Finished the other twin.

"I know boys. I know. And that was on a beat up school broom."

Harry was starting to feel a bit unnerved. He was not used to receiving compliments.

"Well Potter. You get the position but since we are all here I'll go over the rules with you and we'll have a few exercises. We'll start with catching balls and eventually I'll let these maniacs have at you with a bludger. Ron, want to help out by playing third beater to protect Harry a bit?"

Ron was ecstatic.

That evening, Harry sat down to write another letter to Ginny.

_Hey Ginny, _

_Thanks for writing back. I'm glad my letters were able to take you away from cleaning for a bit. I know what it's like to have tons of chores to do since that's what I do over at the Dursleys._

_It's funny you should mention being home schooled if you end up in Slytherin. That's exactly what your brother said as well._

_Attached are my notes from Herbalism (again, a branch of magic you can practice at home) and Charms._

_Things have been pretty quiet here. We had our first flying lesson and Draco Malfoy, this boy in our year but in Slytherin, was causing trouble again. I almost got in trouble because of him but thankfully things worked out in the end. Being a Weasley, you must have been flying for years. Are you any good?_

_Harry Potter._

_P.S.: Tell your mom she CANNOT have Hedwig. She's mine, all mine. Mwahahahahahaha!_

_P.P.S.: Sorry, I'm still in a giddy mood after being accepted into the Quidditch team as the youngest seeker in a century._


	18. Chapter 17: Staff Meeting

Staff Meeting.

While Harry, the Weasleys and Oliver Wood were at the Quidditch pitch, the staff were in their weekly meeting in the staff lounge.

Albus Dumbledore looked on to his staff and chuckled.

Minerva had a smug look on her face and kept giving Severus a sly grin.

Severus looked annoyed and kept glancing at his pocket watch, itching to leave.

Madame Hooch was speaking animatedly with little Professor Flitwick.

Hagrid was sitting in a very large chair with Fawkes again resting on his knee.

The other teachers were sitting around chatting amiably as usual.

"Well, if we can begin. I believe Severus has some potions on the fire he needs to be tending to."

The potions master inclined his head to the headmaster in appreciation.

"Who would like to start?"

"Well Albus, everything is pretty much on par with other years except for a few small items. Gryffindor has a new seeker of course."

Severus Snape looked up at his Gryffindor counterpart sharply at this.

"Well, he isn't officially on the team yet but after what I saw I have no doubt he will be. He is out on the pitch right now trying out."

"And who would that be Minerva?" asked Severus Snape.

"Harry Potter."

This announcement caused a very varied range of reactions. Severus Snape looked to be in a towering rage, Minerva smiled a cocky little smile, Madame Pomfrey started to rub her forehead for some strange reason and Madame Hooch gave an approving nod.

"So, we are giving our newest celebrity preferential treatment already?"

"What preferential treatment Severus? There are no rules against first years playing on the team, it just does not happen very often."

"He breaks the rules in flying class and instead of being punished he is rewarded!"

"Actually Severus" interrupted Madame Hooch. "He was punished. I was going to assign him 50 points. Yes, that's 50. For saving Mr. Longbottom's life during my flying lesson with a superb levitation charm but we did not due to his going after that Remembrall that Mr. Malfoy attempted to destroy. No matter how well intended his actions were, he did receive proper punishment."

"What of the restriction on first years owning a broom?" the potion master was livid.

"He won't own a broom. I have purchased a broom for the seeker position of my house team. And before you complain about my providing them with a broom, the team chipped in to purchase a new broom, the broom belongs to the team and not Mr. Potter."

The headmaster decided to stop this conversation before it escalated any more.

"Congratulations Minerva, now does anyone else have any new business?"

"Actually Albus, I do have something else. A student issued a Wizards Duel challenge to another student and it was accepted. Thankfully one of the students came to see me to see if I would oversee the duel and to determine if such duels were still permitted but it did bring up the fact that that particular portion of the school rules needs to be updated."

"Very well Minerva. We will look at that at the next governors meeting. Now how did the duel turn out?"

At this Severus Snape started scowling.

"Apparently the duel was simply a ruse to get my student in trouble. The student from Slytherin never came but instead sent Argus to the location."

The headmaster sighed.

"Very well. Next order of business."

"If I may headmaster?" Severus Snape looked at his coworkers a moment before continuing.

"My information concerns Mr. Potter. I believe that Mr. Potter has been cheating in class."

"That is a serious accusation Severus. What proof do you have?" asked the aged headmaster. He had hoped that his Potions Master would be able to let old grudges die but apparently this was not to be.

"During his first class, I quizzed Mr. Potter on various potions and ingredients and he answered all my questions appropriately."

"And how is that proof of cheating?" Huffed Minerva McGonagall.

Here Snape smirked. "Some of the questions were from the second year curriculum."  
The head of Gryffindor was livid. "You purposefully tried to trick him?"

"Be that as it may Minerva, there was no way the boy could answer these questions. Even that Granger girl looked suspicious when he answered about Aconite."

Again, the headmaster found himself in a position where he had to stop the eminent conflict.

"Unless you can find more solid proof Severus I believe we will need to stop this subject. Your current proof is subjective and circumstantial at best. Now, anything else?"

Madame Hooch and Professor Flitwick both looked at each other. The tiny charms professor nodded and spoke up.

"Actually, I do and it concerns Mr. Potter."

At this the headmaster started rubbing his temples. "Very well. What has he done now?"

"Actually it's not a question of what he has done but rather what he has not done. I get the impression that Mr. Potter is bored in my class. He does not let it show and he is never the first to accomplish a task in class but I get the impression he is rather bored with the lesson plan I have in place. Also, after talking with Madame Hooch here about Mr. Potter's levitation charm, I have come to the conclusion that he is not performing to his potential in class, that he has been holding out. You see, we have yet to cover the levitation charm in class."

"Actually, I noticed this as well Fillius. It seems Mr. Potter is trying to not draw attention to himself in class."

The headmaster looked at his teachers. This could mean quite a few things and many of his guesses were a little frightening.

"Very well, keep an eye on the situation and let me know what you conclude."

The rest of the meeting was about more mundane things and ended normally.

_On the way back to his office, the headmaster pondered what his professors had told him and hoped that his instincts about young Mr. Potter were correct._


	19. Chapter 18: Halloween

Halloween

As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.

_Mr. Potter, due to the restriction on first year students owning a broom, the broom included in this package does not belong to you but to the Quidditch team. Every member has chipped in a few Galleons to purchase a new broom for THE SEEKER POSITION._

_The broom is a brand new Cleansweep 9, a very good broom for it's price range even if it is last years model._

_Professor McGonagall_

Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.

"A Cleansweep 9? Good broom that." replied Ron knowledgeably. "Not on par with a Nimbus 2000 but then again, not too many brooms are. And it's not likely that your going to have to face off against one on the field."

Malfoy had noticed the package of course and had tried to make trouble but seeing as no rules were being broken he had to slink back to his table.

Time passed on quickly and a week after his last letter to Ginny, Harry received a reply.

_Harry James Potter! (I looked up your middle name in 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts')_

_What's the meaning of putting the most interesting bit of information AT THE END OF YOUR LETTER AS A P.P.S.?_

_You made the Quidditch team! If it wasn't for the fact that my brothers owled me to tell me about it as well, I would have called shenanigans on you!_

'Shenanigans?' thought Harry.

'Don't ask me.' Was Silias's reply.

"Ron, what does it mean to 'call shenanigans'?"

Ron looked scared. "Has Ginny called out Shenanigans?"

"Nah, she said she would have if you and your bothers hadn't told her about my making the team."

"Oh! Good, you don't want that to happen to you, trust me. It means that she calls your bluff and if you can't back up your claim you will be the target of a prank war and by sacred Weasley law," and at this he put a hand on his heart. "we, my brothers and I, would have to participate. You should be safe since we only call Shenanigans on family members or sales people."

"Oh!" Harry went back to the letter.

_I heard about Malfoy from my brothers as well. If the self proclaimed 'Prince of Slytherin' isn't careful he might end up being pranked by Fred and George. Now as for my own flying ability ... well ... only my brother Charlie knows this and I'd like it if none of my other brothers found out, but I've been breaking into the broom shed here since I was six and flying my brothers brooms in secret. Charlie caught me once and then started training me. He says I'm good and he should know since he could have played for England but then again, he's my brother so maybe he's lying to me. I guess I'll know next year._

_Now, I included some questions on your notes you sent last time and was wondering if you could explain a few things for me._

_Other than that. Nothing interesting is going on here. _

_Well, I'll leave you here and try to pry mom away from Hedwig._

_Ginny Weasley_

Perhaps it was because he was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had. His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics. He was still well ahead of the class but at least things were interesting now.

Halloween unfortunately for Harry was not the happy day it had been once upon a time and considering that those days were at the Dursleys, that was saying quite a bit. Harry had discovered that his parents had been killed on this day and so did not really feel like celebrating much.

The day had started well enough all things considered. In Charms he was able to perform well since everyone knew he could do the 'Windgardium Leviosa' charm they were practicing that day. Seamus was very happy to be partnered with Harry for this class.

This was in stark contrast to Ron who had been partnered with Hermione Granger of all people. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this.

Ron, at the next table, wasn't having too much luck.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.

"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Harry had to admit, she really did know her spells. Too bad she had such a stuck up attitude.

Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. "It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly. "

Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione.

Harry caught a glimpse of her face -- and was startled to see that she was in tears.

Hermione did not attend any of her other classes and the rumor going through the Gryffindor girls was that Hermione was in the bathroom crying.

Harry was not in much of a festive mood and decided to simply skip the feast and wander the halls of his new home. Harry was not really paying attention to where he was headed when he heard running footsteps coming towards him. He turned around to find a slightly red faced Ron.

"What's the rush mate?"

"Troll! Troll in the dungeon!"

"WHAT?"

"We have to head back to the tower."

"No! We have to warn Hermione. She wouldn't know about this now would she."

Ron turned white at the thought. He didn't particularly like her but he didn't want her dead or anything. She was just annoying after all.

Of course, they didn't have too long to think on this as they heard a loud crash come from around the bend and the screams of a terrified girl.

"Hermione!" the boys cried in unison.

The sight that greeted them as they opened the bathroom door was terrifying. A twelve foot mountain troll wielding a massive stone club was standing over Hermione who was cowering in fear in a corner of the room. Porcelain shards littered the floor and some of the metal sinks were smashed off the walls or severely dented.

Ron was the first to react. Unfortunately not knowing any type of offensive magic, he grabbed a large piece of stone and chucked it at the behemoth. The stone barely registered but it was enough to take it's attention away from Hermione who tried to scramble to the relative safety of the stalls. Unfortunately this movement brought the Trolls attention back to Hermione.

The troll grabbed a hold of her leg and threw her across the room. The small witch soared across the room screaming in fright when Ron swished and flicked his wand as he had seen Harry do at the flying lessons and cried out.

"WINDGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"

Ron had poured everything he had into the spell remembering from his first lessons that intent had as much to do with the power of a spell as wand movement and proper incantations. The debris between him and Hermione quickly flew up in a wave due to the power of the spell.

The spell hit Hermione just as she was about to hit the wall and stopped her movement instantly. She floated to the floor where she lay panting in a panic attack. Ron collapsed as he had put too much of himself into the spell.

Finally, the shock of seeing the girls washroom turned into a battle zone had worn off. Unfortunately Harry found that he was alone now facing a threat that a fifth year student would find challenging.

Harry decided to try the most dangerous spell he had learned from the amulet. The bludgeoning spell. The spell staggered the Troll but simply enraged it more. Harry then tried another spell he had read about.

"STUPIFY!" The stunning curse merely bounced off the trolls tough skin.

The Troll was getting closer when in desperation Harry decided to try one last spell.

Outside the bathroom, a group of witches and wizards were approaching as fast as they could. They knew that students were in danger in the bathroom and could only hope that they would get there in time.

As they approached the bathroom door they heard a young voice cry out an unexpected spell.

"LUMOS MAXIMA!"

Blinding bright light poured from the cracks of the door almost blinding the assembled witches and wizards.

They opened the door finding a blind and enraged troll stumbling about, holding one of it's massive hands in front of it's eyes while the other swung it's club about in a haphazard way. Harry was pulling Ron to relative safety close to Hermione.

The teachers did not waste any time and simultaneously fired off a stunner at the beast. The troll fell to the combined might of the teachers stunners.

Professor McGonagall, Professor Quirell and Professor Snape all stood by the door panting slightly. Professor McGonagall sat down on a heavily dented metal sink and in a shaky voice asked. "What are ye all doin' here. Why are ye not in yer tower." It was proof that she was shaken as she reverted back to her natural Gaelic accent.

Hermione was still hanging on to Ron and Harry crying and Ron was passed out so Harry stood up and in a quivering voice answered.

"I ... I wasn't in a festive mood so I decided to walk the school instead of attending the feast. I guess when the Troll attack was announced Ron came out to find me. We knew Hermione would not know about the Troll. We heard she was in here crying so we came to get her but the Troll found her first."

Here Harry took a deep breath.

"The Troll grabbed Hermione by the leg and threw her across the room. Ron was able to let off a Levitation spell and caught her before she hit the wall but he poured too much of himself into the spell and fainted. I then tried a few spells but they all bounced off the troll until I blinded it to give us some time to try and escape. It managed to hit me with a glancing blow and then you all came in and knocked it out. My arm hurts, Ron is magically exhausted, Hermione is in shock and has a broken leg."

Harry sat down again.

He must have fallen asleep at that point because the next thing he knew he was awakening in a rather blurry and rather white environment. He was in a bed with scratchy, stiff sheets; the room smelled strongly of cleaning potions and he was dressed in a backless sleeping gown.

'Ah! Your finally awake.'

'What happened?'

'Magical exhaustion coupled with post traumatic stress.'

'What?'

'You fainted.'

'Ah! What's been going on around here?'

'I don't know. I am only aware of what you are aware. I have no way of seeing or hearing. Speaking of which listen to what your Head of House is saying.'

Voices could be heard from behind a white partition. Harry concentrated on the voices to try and understand what they were saying.

"... but surely we can find out who set the Troll on the school using Legilimency." Harry recognized the voice as that of his head of house.

"The mind of a trolls is ... disturbing but yes, it does appear to be our only way of ascertaining what happened." this was the Headmaster and he sounded very tired.

At this moment the door to the hospital wing opened and closed admitting a person or persons unknown.

"It would appear headmaster that Potter and his friends have killed the Troll." Severus Snape intoned in a bored drawl.

"Y.yy... yes! But even had it bb bbeeen alive we would not have bbbeen able to use Legilimency. Mr. Potter's Lumos Maxima spell had burned out it's eyes and the eyyyes are crucial in ll llll Legilimency." piped in the frightened professor Quirell.

"They did not kill the troll Severus. It was still fighting when we came in." replied an indignant McGonagall.

"The injuries it received, left untreated, led to it's demise Minerva. Headmaster, do I have your approval to harvest the carcase for potions ingredients?"

"Yes, yes Severus. Thank you for your help."

Harry decided to reach for his glasses and this drew the attention of the adults in the room.

"Ah! Mr. Potter. Awake I see." Harry looked at the headmaster. His face was smiling but the smile did not reach his eyes.

"Uhm, yeah. Where am I?"

"The hospital wing Mr. Potter. You and Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger are here recovering from your ordeal." here the headmaster gave up all pretense and his shoulders sank low.

"How are Ron and Hermione?"

"They are still sleeping but should awaken any minute now."

"What happened? How did a troll end up in the school?"

"Well Mr. Potter, during the feast Professor Quirell informed us that a troll had managed to enter the school. How this came to be without my being alerted is a mystery that I hope to unravel soon. Apparently, Mr. Weasley knew you were roaming the hallways and decided to find you instead of returning to Gryffindor Tower. This was quite courageous of him if a little foolish but the results are undeniable, without his intervention Miss Granger would not be with us now. After giving a brief summary of the events that transpired in the girls bathroom you apparently fainted from magical exhaustion and stress and were brought here."

Harry had been looking the headmaster in the eye during this speech and was surprised to find that the he had gently entered his mind and was perusing his memories of that encounter. Instinctively Harry rallied his defenses, he could swear he had seen a look of surprise cross the headmasters face and then the gentle probings slowly receded.

Tired as he was, Harry did not think he could have kept the headmaster out at all and his defenses were as of yet untested.

'Sorry, I didn't notice him trying that.'

"Well Mr. Potter, we shall let you and your friends recover from your ordeal. I believe you may be able to return to class tomorrow. Rest well and if you remember anything of import concerning this incident, please do not hesitate to inform either myself or your head of house."

With that, the headmaster left the hospital wing with the other teachers in tow.

'Well done master Potter, well done indeed.'

Mme. Pomfrey, the school nurse/mediwich, approached Harry's bed.

"Humm, I wonder if I'm going to see as much of you Mr. Potter as I did your father and his friends."

"You knew my father?"

Here the strict matrons face softened greatly. "He spent almost as much time here as he did in his own dormitory either as a patient or un-invited guest. A week did not go by without a visit from one those trouble makers."

" I heard you made the Quidditch team, congratulations, I'm sure your father would have been proud."

Shaking herself out of fond memories. The nurse passed Harry a few potions.

"Now, you WILL drink these potions. This last one is a sleeping potion. No need to take it right away but you should take it before you go to sleep. It will insure that you have a quiet, dreamless sleep."

A few minutes later, Harry saw Ron awaken in his bed along with Hermione.

They stayed quiet for a few minutes until they all started talking at the same time.

"So is everyo... " started Harry.

"Thanks you for ..." started Hermione.

"Sorry I was such ..." started Ron.

They looked at each other in surprise.

Ron started snickering, Harry had a crazy smile and Hermione let out a small snort of laughter. And suddenly it was as if a dam had broken and they burst out laughing crazily. Tears were running down Ron cheeks, Hermione was clutching her pillow and Harry was rubbing his cheeks.

After a minute or two, the laughter slowly subsided and the trio finally noticed a befuddled Madame Pomfrey looking at them as if they were mad. They looked at each other and broke out in laughter again. The nurse moved away shaking her head.

A few minutes later found a much calmer and subdued trio.

They had come to a silent agreement and were now friends. No words had been passed between them but one did not face battle without forging a strong bond.

Apparently this thought was on Hermione's mind.

"I know now why men who have been to war yearn to reunite. Not to tell stories or to look at old pictures. Not to laugh or weep on one another's knee. Comrades gather because they long to be with men who once acted their best." came the soft quote from Hermione's bed.

"Who said that?" Ron asked.

"Hermione did." was Harry's cheeky reply.

Harry received two pillows to the head for his troubles.

"It's a quote from Michael Norman's book 'These Good Men'. It's a book written by a former United States Marine officer." was Hermione's solemn response.

They all laid back, Hermione and Ron fell asleep quickly after taking their potions but Harry was not ready to fall asleep yet.

Harry managed to obtain some parchment, quill and ink from Madame Pomfrey and started a letter for Ginny.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Well, I just had one of the strangest days of my life tonight. I'd like to start by saying that your brother and I are alright. _

_I was walking around the school instead of going to the Halloween feast when out of nowhere comes your brother, Ron, yelling something about a troll on the loose in the school. We were supposed to go back to our dorms but we then remembered that a girl was in the bathroom crying and would not know about the troll so we decided to go get her._

_You see she was in there crying because Ron said something nasty about her and she heard it. The girl is Hermione Granger and she's brilliant. She really knows her spells and keeps quoting these real grown up books she's read but she has a tendency to flaunt her knowledge and it gives her a know it all attitude. She also has a thing for rules that makes your brother Percy look like a criminal. Your brother commented on that and the fact that she does not have any friends and she heard him._

_So here we are running off to the bathroom to find her but the troll found her first. We came into the bathroom in time to see the troll grab Hermione by the leg and throw her across the room. Your brother caught her with a really strong levitation charm, that's really impressive since his argument with Hermione was because he wasn't able to do that spell in class today. Of course, your brother put everything he had into the spell and fainted right after from magical exhaustion. Hermione was having a panic attack, not that I blame her, I tried throwing a few curses at it but nothing fazed it until I blinded it with a super powered Lumos spell. Then the teachers came in and stunned it. I found out a few minutes ago that the troll eventually died from the injuries I caused with some of my spells and so the professors have no idea where the troll came from._

_I figured I'd let you know first hand what happened._

_I have something else I need to share with you. I haven't told your brother yet. It looks like the teachers here use Legilimency on the students. Legilimency is kind of like mind reading. I know professor Snape uses it a lot in class and professor Dumbledore just tried it on me a few minutes ago. The headmaster's probing was really gentle and he backed away when he noticed I had some defenses up, not that they could have stopped him really._

_I'm not sure what to do with this. I'm pretty sure that using Legilimency like professor Snape does is illegal. It's the first time I notice professor Dumbledore trying it and I think he was just trying to get more information about the troll so I think that it's a responsible use of that skill but still. _

_I've been teaching myself the defense to Legilimency, Occlumency, but I wonder what I should do. You've lived all your life in the wizarding world. Do you have any advice?_

_Now, I had to ask your brother about calling 'Shenanigans'. Would you have really forced them to prank me?_

_Your brother could have played for England? You mean he was that good or they actually tried to recruit him?What position did he play?_

_I'm in the hospital wing right now but I'll attach more notes from class for before I send this off._

_Well, I should really go to sleep now before the school nurse comes back._

_Harry Potter_


	20. Chapter 19: Quidditch and Plots

Quidditch and plots

Harry woke up and wiped away the sleep from his eyes. He realized quickly that he was not in his dorm. The predominant colors in Gryffindor Tower were red and gold, not stark white. His bed was also a single bed and the blankets were rather stiff.

'The hospital wing?' Harry thought to himself. 'Why am I here again?'

Slowly memories came flooding back.

_It had been a few weeks since the incident with the troll. Hermione, Ron and he had been released the next day and Gryffindor Tower had celebrated. Apparently, the teachers had assigned points to Harry and Ron for their selfless act of heroism. Harry and Ron had earned their house a total of fifty points._

_Harry and Hermione downplayed their part of the story but Ron took great pleasure telling any who would listen how he had caught Hermione with the levitation charm. His boasting could have been annoying were it not that he credited Hermione with his success with the charm and Harry with their survival._

Harry looked around the hospital wing, trying to remember why he was here. He had a pounding headache for some reason.

There on a chair was his Quidditch uniform. This brought back a few more memories.

_Practice had been going very well. He really was very good at flying and the team was in high spirits. Thankfully, lessons were still easy for Harry and with Hermione's help, she was much better organized than either he or Ron, juggling homework and practice was not a problem. Hermione had proven to be a good friend and invaluable study buddy. Harry seemed to be ahead of her when it came to actual spellwork and knowledge of spells but she understood the 'why' of magic much better than he did and her analytical mind meant that the quality of their work had improved ten fold. Now their essays were not only fact filled but well written to boot._

_Hermione in the meantime had loosened up a bit. She had even accompanied Harry and Ron on a late night kitchen run earning her the respect of the Weasley twins._

_It came as a shock to Hermione that Hogwarts employed house elves. Houseleves were treated little better than slaves. Forced to toil away, at no benefit to themselves, for their masters. _

"_It's inhuman is what it is!" whispered an indignant eleven year old Hermione._

"_Well, they aren't exactly human now are they." was Ron's ill chosen reply._

_This comment spawned a furious whispered argument that lasted the whole way back to Gryffindor Tower._

Harry sat up on his bed.

'Nope, no reason for me to be in here from that night.' he thought to himself.

He looked at his Quidditch uniform again. It appeared to be dirty.

He had played his first game! That was why he was in the hospital wing.

_The game had been very close. The Slytherins were playing dirty while the Gryffindors played an excellent game but the underhanded tactics were seriously starting the wear on the red and gold._

_Harry heard a loud whistle and looked around._

_Oliver Wood had been knocked off his broom by a dirty tactic for the third time this match. At least it gave Gryffindor a free shot at the hoops but the Slytherin keeper was rather good._

_Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Harry spotted it: The Golden Snitch._

_Harry urged his Cleansweep 9 after the floating ball. Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Seeker, had not noticed the little golden ball hovering three feet under him and was a little surprised to see Harry torpedoing towards him. The surprise was short lived and Harry found himself in a heated chase after the Snitch. Flint had little chance to catch up to him. His Silver Arrow was a good broom but it was on par with the Cleansweep and Harry was smaller and honestly simply a better flier. The sound of a beaters bat on a bludger to his right registered on Harry's consciousness but he had already determined that at his current speed it would miss him by about two feet so he paid it no mind. This proved to be a problem as suddenly his broom came to a dead stop._

_Harry felt a large metallic object hit him behind the head and, coupled with the sudden stopping of his broom, it sent him flying. In that split second while Harry was flying off his broom, a bit of his Muggle science class came to mind. Newton's first Law of Motion: Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. Seeing as his body had been in a 'state of uniform motion' it continued to be in that state of uniform motion ... minus his broom which would result, eventually, in 'an external force' being applied to his body as he hit the fast approaching pitch. _

_The hit to the head must have jarred a few screws loose in his head because the following thought came to mind as he stared at the fast approaching ground._

_'I wonder if it will be friends with me?'_

_Grasping at thin air Harry managed to grab hold of the snitch as he plummeted towards the hard pitch._

_And then Harry Potter knew no more._

Well, apparently someone must have caught him because he was still alive and relatively unharmed. He had full control of all his limbs, nothing seemed to be in a cast, his broom was leaned on to his bedside table. Asides from the blasted headache everything was fine.

Looking out the windows, Harry noticed it was the middle of the night. He had missed lunch and dinner and was very hungry. Deciding not to bother madame Pomfrey, he slipped on some slippers and quietly left the hospital wing to head towards the kitchens. He knew for a fact that there were always a few house elves awake at any one time and that they would be more than happy to make him a small snack.

"You have failed yet again Quirell. I do not normally tolerate failure." Harry stopped. The voice had come from an abandoned classroom. The voice sounded familiar but he could not put a face to it.

"But master, if I act too openly we will be discovered. It is inconceivable that he survived the troll and the fall from his broom. If that damned Granger girl had not interfered." This was certainly the voice of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher but he was not stuttering. He sounded afraid but his voice was steady.

"Silence you fool. I have re-considered my plans for the boy. I shall still see him dead and broken at my feet but first I have other uses for him."

_**Bone of the father, unknowingly given,  
You will renew your son.  
Flesh of the servant, willingly given,  
You will revive your master.  
Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken,  
You will resurrect your foe. **_

"Using this ritual Quirell, Lord Voldermort shall rise again!"

"What of Flamel's stone? "

"It is too well hidden. I was hoping that the old fool would simply rely on the schools wards and a few simple defenses but he has taken the stones safety to heart. He has probably hidden the stone under the Fidelius Charm."

Harry decided he had heard enough and quietly crept away.

What had he discovered.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had tried to kill him twice.

He was working with someone else, probably Snape as no one else showed such open hate for him, to kill him and bring back the most feared Dark Lord of the century.

Somehow he was involved in a ritual involving Bone, Flesh and Blood.

"Wandering the halls at night Mr. Potter?"

Harry had not been paying attention to his surroundings as much as he should have and had stumbled onto the potions master.

"Yes, professor Snape." He was very careful to avoid the potion masters eyes. With his current headache he was pretty sure he would not be able to occlude his mind.

"We think ourselves above the rules? Do you think that winning, by pure chance, a game of quidditch exempts you from the rules?"

"No sir, but I just woke up in the hospital wing and was terribly hungry as I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I didn't want to wake up madame Pomfrey so I figured I'd go to the kitchens and ask for a sandwich or some left-overs."

"Be that as it may I believe that five points and detention tomorrow night are in order."

Harry's head lifted at this with indignation and Harry found himself staring straight into the eyes of the potion master. Before he could muster any type of defense harry found his memories being perused, memories from the moment he had left the hospital wing. Not wanting the potions master to know that Harry was aware of his intentions to resurrect the Dark Lord, Harry threw up his meager mental defenses and felt the potion masters presence leave as it was forcibly ejected from his mind. It was obvious that the potion master had simply been surprised that there was any resistance at all, the effort Harry had put into his defenses were weak even by his standards due to his injury.

A calculating look came over the teacher.

"Return to the hospital wing Potter and get some sleep as you have detention tomorrow. I will send a house elf to your bed with a meal in a few minutes."

Harry returned to the hospital wing, sat down on his bed and thought for a time.

Noticing Silias on the bedside table, he put on his mentor who instantly started talking to him.

'Thank Merlin you are back.'

'Sorry Silias, someone must have taken you off me after the match.'

'Perfectly alright master Potter.'

'Silias, If I told you this ... Bone of the father, unknowingly given, You will renew your son. Flesh of the servant, willingly given, You will revive your master. Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, You will resurrect your foe ... what would you say?'

'That you are delving into Necromancy?'

'I heard professor Quirell say this a few minutes ago. So you have any information on this?'

'No, master Potter. Your parents were not interested in the Dark Arts and Necromancy is one of the Darkest.'

He would ask Hermione and Ron for their advice. This was getting to be a bit too serious.

As this decision was made, a house elf appeared next to his bed with a soft pop.

The elf gave Harry a small shy smile, deposited a large platter of cold cuts, bread and juice and disappeared with a small wave.

Harry had just made himself a nice sandwich when he considered where this food had come from: Severus Snape: Death Eater and potion master.

He put the sandwich down and went into the nurses office. Finding a book on poisons and poison detection, Harry sat down and taught himself a general purpose poison detection charm. After a wave of his wand, he was fairly certain that the food and drink were not poisoned.

'You know I could have helped you with that.'

'I also wanted a Bezoar.'

Harry took a tentative bite from his sandwich and waited a few moments. Seeing that nothing had gone wrong, Harry put the bezoar he had taken from the nurses office on his nightstand and continued to eat his sandwich.

'Why does my life have to be so complicated?' Harry thought to himself.

'You must have been a horrible person in a past life, Hitler or Morgana Lafey.' Silias replied in a straight voice.

'Gee, thanks.'

Harry grabbed the latest letter from Ginny and re-read it.

_Dear Harry,_

_Thank you for letting me know directly what happened. My parents were acting strange and now I know why. I don't think they would have let me know and I was starting to get worried._

_The way you talk, your encounter with the troll sounds really scary. I guess that you, and my brothers, were kidding then about fighting a troll to be sorted. I'm glad that all three of you are safe and sound. As for my brother making a girl cry all day, well I'm not surprised. He isn't the most sensitive guy out there. He's a good person but he doesn't think before opening that big mouth of his. _

_Now for your other problem. I checked with my dad and he says that it's very hard to accuse someone of using Legilimency since you can't really prove it. He says that truth serums have to be used in these cases and getting the Wizengamot to agree to this is so hard that most people don't bother._

_Now, that said, is there anything I can do to protect myself before I make it to Hogwarts? Professor Snape doesn't really like my family so I think I should be prepared for the worst next year._

_As for 'calling shenanigans' on you, I might have. It might have required a family council first but I just might have._

_Oh and my brother was scouted by a scout for the English National Team but he declined the invitation so yes, he was recruited._

_Thanks for the potions and DADA notes. I'm still going through them so don't bother sending anything else just yet. I'll have more questions in my next letter but please send me something on Occlumency, we have nothing here at the Burrow and the thought of someone rummaging through my memories is really scary._

_Now let me give you the Weasley update. It looks like I'm going to Romania with my parents for Christmas! Ron is staying at Hogwarts. What are your plans? Are you going back to your family or are you staying at Hogwarts? Were going to Romania to see my brother at the dragon reserves._

_Well, I'm glad your o.k. and good luck on your first game._

_Ginny Weasley_


	21. Chapter 20: Detention

Detention

"_Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833. This act gave all slaves in the British Empire their freedom. The British government paid compensation to the slave owners."_

"_Yeah, well that's the muggle government isn't it. Were in the magical world here Hermione."_

"_So because it's muggle means it has no worth Ron? Maybe we should go back to the 1890's when women were not allowed to vote. Seems that the womans Suffrage Movement was good enough for the wizarding world now wasn't it? Maybe we should repeal the following laws while were at it. In 1839, a law was passed which stated that if a marriage broke down and the parents separated, children under seven years of age should stay with their mother. In 1857, women could divorce husbands who were cruel to them or husbands who had left them. In 1870, women were allowed to keep money they had earned. In 1891, women could not be forced to live with husbands unless they wished to. These laws were also adopted by the wizarding world."_

Waking up to a Ron/Hermione argument was not exactly how Harry had planned to start the day.

"_But that's not the same. Women are well ... human. house elves aren't."_

"_That's how African slaves were seen as well Ron. That's how the Nazis viewed everyone not of the Aryan race. That's how he-who-must-not-be-named viewed muggles and muggleborns! Tell me Ron, am I less than human?"_

Harry looked over at his friends. They apparently hadn't noticed that he was awake. Ron looked unsure what to say at this point.

'You know, she's quite brilliant.' commented Silias.

"_Hath not a house elf eyes? Hath not a house elf hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a wizard is? If you prick them, do they not bleed? If you tickle them, do they not laugh? If you poison them, do they not die?"_

Hermione's voice was filled with passion, conviction and a touch of righteous indignation.

Ron looked at her, amazement etched on his face.

"_Hermione I didn't even understand a bloody word of that but it was brilliant!"_

At least they were whispering their argument.

"I think what she's trying to make you see mate is that there's more to being 'human' than how you were born. house elves have feelings, they think, they have likes and dislikes. They aren't that different from us. What was that from Hermione?"

'Bravo! Five points to Potter!' Silias cheered within Harry's mind.

"Harry your awake!"

"Sorry mate, I hope we didn't wake you up."

"It's alright. I'm just glad I'm in one piece. So Hermione, what was that you quoted there?"

"That was from 'The Merchant of Venice' by William Shakespeare."

"I thought he was a muggle." came Harry's confused reply.

"Well yes but he was aware of the magical world, a midsummer nights dream was not complete fiction you know. And to be honest, I did change the words from Jew and Christian to house elf and Wizard to fit the conversation. Also the next couple of phrases would have been more appropriate to the goblins."

"So how you feeling mate. That bludger really did a number on you."

"I feel like I just experienced first hand a very graphic example of Newton's first Law of Motion."

Seeing Ron looking confused Hermione explained.

"Newton's first Law of Motion: Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. In other words, an object in motion tends to want to keep moving unless an opposing force is applied to it. In this case, Harry was the object in motion and the opposing force was the ground."

"Oh! Then why is it that when I push a ball it stops moving eventually?"

"That's because the air is an opposing force, gravity is an opposing force, the wind, the soil sticking to the ball ... all these things exert an opposing force."

"Oh!"

Harry decided to interrupt. "By the way, why am I not dead?"

"Well a bunch of us threw levitation charms to slow you down and that gave time for Hermione to cast a cushioning charm on the ground."

"Oh, uhmm ... thanks."

"You see Ron, the levitation charms were an opposing force in this case."

"Uhm Harry, why do you have a bezoar on your night table?" asked Hermione looking at the stone that Ron was playing with. Realizing where the stone had come from, the young redhead put it back on the table with a look of revulsion on his face.

"Right. Well let's just say I discovered some scary things yesterday."

He went on to explain his discovery that Quirell had attempted to kill him not once but twice and his suspicion that he was working with Snape.

"Bloody Hell! If it doesn't rain it pours."

"Language Ron. We have to go tell someone about this. We should go to the headmaster, he'll know what to do."

"I already thought of that Hermione but we don't have any proof. What are we going to say? 'Could you fire your Defense teacher please. I don't think he knows his subject oh and yeah, I heard a voice that could or could not be him talking to someone that could or could not be your potions master plotting my death and the return of the most feared dark lord in a century. How's my head? Healing quite well from that severe blunt trauma thanks for asking.' I'd be laughed out of his office!"

"Well, we can't simply ignore this Harry. It's too serious."

"She's right mate. Didn't Dumbledore go to your house to help you once already? Maybe he'd take you more seriously than a normal student."

"Ok. I'll go talk to Dumbledore tomorrow morning. I have detention tonight."

Harry was finally released from the hospital wing and they spent the rest of that Sunday finishing off homework. Too soon it was time for Harry's detention.

The Gryffindor head of house entered the common room and approached the trio.

"Mr. Potter, you will be serving detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest."

"I thought that the forest was well, forbidden." was Harry's worried reply.

"It is forbidden to go there without proper staff supervision Mr. Potter. One of the electives you will be able to choose in your third year is Care of Magical Creatures and that class sometimes takes place in the forest as do some of the later Herbology classes. Now please follow me to Hagrid's hut Mr. Potter. You would do well to dress warmly and bring your dragon hide gloves and wand."

After a few moments they left the tower and found their way to Hagrid's hut out on the grounds.

"Ah! Professor McGonagall and Harry. Just in time." exclaimed Hagrid as he opened the door.

"Well Hagrid. I will leave Mr. Potter in your capable hands. Please insure that he get's some sleep tonight he does have class in the morning." and with that she left.

"Ok now Harry. We're gonna be headin' into tha forest so stick close ter me. Ya should be safe enough but tha forest can be a wee bit dangerous. Plenty o' interestin creatures in there."

Seeing Harry's worried look.

"Don't ya worry none. I can handle most things in tha forest. It's not a full moon so no need ter worry about werewolves. Now if anything does happen Fang'll guide ya back ter school."

He handed Harry a large satchel apparently filled with medical supplies. He then grabbed his large, pink umbrella, a huge crossbow that could almost qualify as a ballista, a lantern and guided Harry out the door.

They walked the short distance from Hagrid's cabin to the edge of the forest. In the gloom of the night, the forest seemed sinister and forbidding.

Hagrid stopped a few steps into the forest and looked back to where Harry had stopped.

Harry took a deep breath and ventured into the forest.

"Now, what do yer know 'bout Unicorns 'Arry."

"Honestly, not much Hagrid. My relatives didn't read us any fairy tales or anything so I know even less than the muggles do."

"Well, yer gonna learn 'bout them in yer fourth year in Care of Magical Creatures. A white horse-like creature with a single horn on its head. Parts o' the unicorn - the horn and tail hair in particular - are used fer potions and wands. Unicorn blood is silver-blue in color and shines under moonlight which is why we be lookin' for this one at night. A unicorns hooves are golden. Unicorns prefer a woman's touch. Unicorn foals are pure gold. They turn silver when they're 'bout two years old. They grow horns at around four. At about seven years old, they're fully grown and turn pure white. They're a bit more trustin' when they're babies...don' mind boys so much. Now, what we be doin here tonight is lookin for a wounded unicorn. Somethin's been killin unicorns an right now there's one hurt out here. Takes somethin fast and real evil ta kill a unicorn so ya be on tha lookout."

As they went about looking for the unicorns trail, Hagrid pointed out the various denizens of the forest out to Harry. From owls to bowtruckles.

It was apparent to Harry that Hagrid was very much at home in the forest. He spoke of it with familiarity, as if he had spent most of his life there and slowly the forest lost much of it's oppressiveness.

Harry noticed a blue silver glimmer on the ground and the reason for their presence there came back to mind. The forest may not be as forbidding as it once was to him but he was quickly reminded that it still held danger.

"Hagrid, I think I found the trail."

Hagrid bent down on one knee and examined the surrounding ground. After a few seconds he got back up and started in a direction, apparently following clues that were invisible to Harry.

Hagrid would stop every now and then and examine the ground or the trees and reading some clue or sign would continue their trek through the forest. After close to twenty minutes, even Harry was able to follow the trail as the silvery blood shone brightly in ever growing splatters on the forest floor and on the trees.

They finally came unto a clearing in the forest and there lay the unicorn. The unicorn lay on it's side, a growing pool of blood forming under it's flank. It's breathing was obviously shallow and it's body was covered with sweat.

Harry made to rush to the creature but Hagrid put a large hand on his shoulder, unslung his crossbow and scanned the area with his eyes.

"Looks like this happened not long ago. Be careful, whatever did this might still be around."

Not seeing any immediate danger they approached the beast but about twenty feet from the dying creature they were forced to stop as another unicorn burst out of the underbrush running to intercept the two wizards before they reached their target.

This unicorn was not severely injured but it did sport a few scratches. It placed itself between the wizards and it's wounded mate and lowered it's horn while pawing the ground.

"Get back behind me 'Arry. I'll handle this."

But Harry was not listening to Hagrid. He had felt something from the unicorn, something he had not expected. When he had looked the unicorn into the eyes, he had felt it trying to read his thoughts. It had felt different from what professor Dumbledor or Snape had done but it had still felt similar.

Taking a step towards the beast he looked it straight in the eyes and lowered his meager defenses.

Instead of remembering memories, as he had expected, Harry found that his emotions were being read.

Suddenly, the feeling of having his very soul read and judged passed and images started flitting into his own mind. Images of running in the forest, a shadow was following them. The shadow was pure evil and hate. His companion fell and so the stallion turned to face their pursuer the shadow approached and turned into a cloaked figure. The figure pointed an arm at the stallion and a burst of magic made it's way towards it sending the unicorn flying through the trees.

Harry came out of these vision to Hagrid's worried voice.

"'Arry, you alright?"

"It's ok Hagrid, he'll let us take care of her now."

At these words the stallion moved to the side to allow the wizards access to his wounded mate.

Hagrid took the bag from Harry and started treating the fallen unicorn. During this time the other unicorn approached Harry and nudged him with it's nose. Not quite sure what to do Harry started petting it's flank, trying to comfort it.

Some time later, Hagrid gave a sigh of relief and stood up.

"Well, I did all I could do for 'er 'ere. I need ter bring 'er back ta tha castle. You think you can let yer friend there know 'Arry?"

Harry nodded and looked his new friend in the eye trying to projects feelings of protection and healing, unfortunately it didn't work and Harry eventually felt the stallion enter his mind to try and understand what his new friends was trying to tell him. A few moments later the presence left is mind again and the unicorn nudged Hagrid towards his fallen mate.

'That was a valiant effort at Legilimency master Potter but it's more complicated than that. Oh and did I mention it's getting crowded in here?'

"I don't know how yer doin' it 'Arry but I'm sure glad you came along."

Hagrid bent down and gently picked up the mare, mindful of it's wounds. He started walking back into the forest in the direction of the castle. The other unicorn whinnied and bumped it's flank against Harry.

"I'll be! I think he wants ya ter mount him 'Arry. That doesn't happen often, especially not with boys."

A few bumps and bruises later Harry finally managed to climb unto the stallion's back and they started their way through the forest once more.

They walked, or in Harry's case rode, in silence for a time. Harry had never ridden a horse, let alone a unicorn, and was enjoying the experience greatly, he was sure that it would be a bit more comfortable with a saddle but seeing as one was not available at the moment and that it was a rare privilege to be allowed to ride a unicorn in the first place, he kept his comments to himself.

Accompanied by a unicorn, the trip back through the forest was even better than their trip in. More creatures came out of hiding to see them pass. Creatures that were natural predators came out docilely to look at the strangers and ignored their natural prey.

"Mars is bright tonight."

Harry turned around quickly on the unicorns back loosing his precarious balance and landing in a heap by it's hooves. The beast itself seemed unperturbed by the source of the voice and Hagrid greeted their interlocutor like an old friend.

"Firenzie. How are ya tonight."

Harry stared, gobsmaked. Standing there were three centaurs.

"I am well. I see that you have found the injured unicorn. We have been trying to locate it for part of the evening."

"Yeah. 'Arry and I found a trail a while back. I did what I could back in the clearing a ways back but now I need to take 'er to the castle for more care."

"Well seeing as you are willingly accompanied by it's mate I see no reason to stop you." a grim faced centaur spoke up at the center of the group.

"Good, good bane. The quicker we get 'er back to the castle the better. I also don't want ta be caught in 'ere by whatever attacked it with me hands full."

The three centaurs started a whispered conversation and quickly reached a decision.

"We shall accompany you to the forests edge to insure the unicorns safety." said the third centaur.

"Thank ye Magorian. I'll be feelin much safer with you lot around. 'Arry, these are centaurs. Magorian, Bane and Firenzie. They're part of the centaur tribe that lives in the forest. This is 'Arry Potter."

Harry stood up and after brushing himself off, shook hands with the three centaurs.

Harry noticed Firenzie cast a sidelong look at his two companions. He was apparently nervous or anxious about something.

"Well, we should depart quickly so that we can insure that Mr. Potter is away from danger this night."

Harry went back to the unicorn and was contemplating how to climb on it's back when he felt a pair of strong arms raise him off the ground and sit him down on the stallions back.

"You should not be in the forest this night. There is an evil on the loose both within the castle and the forest that would seek to cause you harm Harry Potter. Be careful for Mars is bright tonight."

With those whispered words, Firenzie returned to his clan mates and the growing procession continued on in silence on the way to the edge of the forest.

The rest of the trip was done in silence and gave Harry some time to ponder what had happened.

He had befriended a male unicorn. This in itself was not unheard of., it was certainly rare but not a first. Ferenzie had warned him about Quirell and had added something cryptic about Mars being bright. The female unicorn had been attacked by a wraith or a disguised wizard. Unicorns did something similar to Legilimency but with emotions. Doing Legilimency was not as easy as wanting too real bad.

If things kept happening like this he would need to ask Hermione for help organizing all these facts or something important was going to get forgotten.

Finally they made it back to Hogwarts grounds and the centaurs bade them farewell.

"Well, were gonna take these two over ta tha stables. I think I have a few free stalls there tha they can use."

"Why DO we have stables Hagrid? It's not like there are horses here."

"They be for the Thesrals. Mighty interestin' creatures Thesrals. I think Hogwarts has the only domesticated pack in all England."

"Thesrals?"

"Yeah. They draw the school carriages. Most people think them unlucky. They aren't unlucky, they're dead clever an' useful! Thestrals aren' dangerous. All righ', they might take a bite outta yeh if yeh really annoy them. Tha reason people think they be unlucky is that ta see one you have to have seen death."

Here Harry imagined a cloaked figure wielding a Scythe.

As if reading his mind Hagrid went on.

"Not the incarnation o' death but actual death. Like seein' someone or a pet die. It has ta do with understanding death or at least what it means ta be mortal. I guess this isn't the best subject for an eleven year old boy on a night like tonight."

"No, it's alright Hagrid. I think it's really interesting."

"Alright but I don't wanna hear you had nightmares or got all depressed or anythin' now ya hear me?"

Receiving a nod in response Hagrid continued with his description.

"Thestrals are huge winged horses with white shining eyes, dragonish faces and necks, and skeletal black bodies. They're attracted to the smell o' blood. They're amazingly magical animals. People used to think they were bad omens, that seeing them meant bad luck, but this is just superstition. Thestrals have an amazing sense o' direction and move magically fast through tha air."

Hagrid cast a sidelong glance at Harry as if trying to work up the courage to say something.

"Ya might be able to see them ya know."

"Really? Why? I haven't seen anyone die."

Hagrid did not answer and looked ashamed.

They made it to the stables in silence and Harry noted the empty stalls but knowing what to expect he heard the sounds of many horses. He could not see them. Why had Hagrid thought that he might be able to see the Thesrals.

"Well, find your friend a stall. Give 'im some hay. No need ta close the paddock, he's not a prisoner 'ere 'e can wander freely. I'm not sure how ya talk ta 'im but if ya can let 'im know that it would help a lot. Once were done 'ere we'll go to my hut for some tea then off ta bed with yeh."

"I can't see the Thesrals. Can you guide me to a free stall Hagrid?"

Hagrid looked both disappointed and relieved at this admission. They settled the two unicorns, Harry finally managing to relay Hagrid's instructions to the stallion and were now seated in Hagrid's hut sipping some tea.

"So Harry, how do ya talk ta that unicorn?"

"Well I don't really. It reads my feelings and emotions."

"That be interestin. Why didn't it try tha with me?"

"I don't know Hagrid. I know a lot less about unicorns than you do. Maybe it did but you just don't know about it."

"Well, I best get ye back to yer tower. Ye did a great job tonight Harry and I'll make sure the professors know."


	22. Chapter 21: Meeting with the Headmaster

Meeting with the Headmaster.

Morning came and with it hundreds of questions from Hermione. Both Hermione and Ron were duly impressed with the nights events.

They were having a whispered conversation at the breakfast table.

"Why would someone harm a unicorn?" asked Ron.

"Well, it looked like something had been drinking it's blood so maybe a vampire?"

"No Harry, unicorn blood is poisonous to vampires." was Hermione's reply.

"Well, why would someone drink it's blood then."

"Well, they do say that drinking a unicorns blood can grant someone extended life. But the act will curse the drinker forcing him into a sort of half-life."

"Bloody hell Hermione, is there anything you don't know?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron and ignored his question.

"Now Harry, you are going to go talk to the headmaster right? I would do it right after breakfast. I'm sure he can write you a note for charms class."

"Alright. I'll go even if I don't know exactly what to tell him."

Harry approached the headmaster as he left the head table.

"Professor, I was wondering if I could speak with you."

"Obviously you can Mr. Potter as we are currently conversing."

Harry was unable to keep himself from rolling his eyes at the attempted joke.

"I mean in private professor."

"Of course Mr. Potter. If you would follow me to my office?"

They walked the winding corridors of Hogwarts, the headmaster relating tidbits of information about the various paintings along the way when they finally stopped in front of a large stone gargoyle.

"Reeses Peanut Butter Cups." and with this the gargoyle jumped aside revealing a rotating staircase. "The chocolate is mediocre but the combination of chocolate and peanut butter is simply delectable. I have a fondness for sweets, muggle sweets in particular."

They climbed the stairs to the headmasters office. The office clearly reflected the current headmasters frame of mind. It was cluttered with various silver instruments. Some of them making strange chiming noises while others released various clouds of smoke. The walls were covered with paintings of previous headmasters. Most of the animated paintings appeared to be sleeping but a few of them gave Harry a jolly wave.

On a metal perch stood the most beautiful bird Harry had ever seen. He knew, from his parents journals, that this was the headmasters phoenix Fawkes.

"Have a seat Mr. Potter. Can I offer you a cup of tea or a Lemon Drop?"

Harry looked at the proffered sweet and declined but accepted the cup of tea.

"Now Mr. Potter, why did you wish to speak to me?"

Harry was very nervous now. Now that it came to it he really didn't know how to broach the subject. Seeing his apparent discomfort, the headmaster broke in.

"Well, how about we start with your classes Mr. Potter. I hear from your teachers that you are doing quite well there."

"Well, yeah. I don't really like Potions or History of Magic but all the other classes are real good."

"But from what I understand, you are rather proficient in potions."

"Well, yeah but Snape."

"Professor Snape Mr. Potter."

"Sorry. Well, I don't think professor Snape likes me all that much. Actually, I think he hates me."

The headmaster looked at Harry with some pity.

"Professor Snape has his reasons. They are not really good reasons but they are his none the less. And no, I cannot tell you what they are. That is his revelation to make should he ever decide to. I also heard from Hagrid that you were of great help with the unicorns during your detention. I was wondering if you could go down to the stables a few times a week until they are healed to insure that they are happy."

Harry simply nodded at this. They sat there sipping their tea in uncomfortable silence.

Finally Harry broke.

"Well, I don't know where to start."

"I always find that the beginning is as good a place as any."

Harry then explained the conversation he had overheard the night of the Quidditch match and his feelings that Professor Snape was the other person speaking. He also told the headmaster about the words of warning he had received from the centaur Firenzie.

In the end the headmasters twinkling eyes grew serious.

"Those are rather severe accusations Mr. Potter."

And here it was. He knew that this would be it. He had spoken out of turn and would be sent back to the Dursleys. Letting his shoulders slump Harry prepared himself for the imminent expulsion.

"What we need Mr. Potter is more information."

Harry looked up quickly.

"You don't think I'm lying?"

"No Mr. Potter, I do not but I do not think that you have all the facts either or that you truly comprehend everything that has been happening since you have arrived here. I have something that may help us."

With a wave of his hand a cabinet door opened and an ancient stone bowl floated towards the desk.

"This Mr. Potter is a Pensieve. It is used to store and review memories. It is very useful when one finds his mind filled with important matters. It helps take a fresh view on the memories and see patterns." He paused for a second, his maddening twinkle returning to his eyes. "It even helps those who have mastered Occlumency. Now I would like to view your memory of that evening so that we may see if you have missed any information."

"How does it work?"

"Take your wand and point it to your temple. Then think very carefully of the memory you wish to deposit in the pensieve and imagine yourself drawing it from your mind. Then slowly pull your wand away from your temple. A long strand of silvery white substance will be attached to you wand, simply deposit it in the pensieve and then we will be able to view the memory. I must warn you that the feeling of drawing out your memory can be a little unnerving at first. How is your head by the way dear boy?"

Harry snorted with laughter.

Harry did as instructed and found, as the headmaster had said, that the feeling was a little strange. It felt very much like pulling a lukewarm, cooked noodle from ones head.

"Would you like to accompany me into the memory Mr. Potter?"

"Yes please." Harry was very intrigued now.

"Very well, Fawkes will watch over our inert bodies while our minds wander within the penseive. One of the dangers of penseives is that when within a memory one is not aware of his surroundings. We could of course simply watch a projection of the memory but better results can be achieved with immersion. Now Mr. Potter place a finger within the bowl and let your mind be drawn within."

Harry did as he was told and found himself in the hospital wing staring at a exact replica of himself sitting on a bed.

"It would appear that you did not define your memory very well, it is a normal mistake for a first time user of a pensieve."

With a wave of his hand, the scene accelerated until the moment where Harry left the hospital wing.

"It is very important to clearly define your memory or else you may find yourself showing some rather embarrassing moments. I remember when I first received my penseive ... well, maybe this story is not so appropriate now that I think of it. Ask me about it in a few years."

Finally they arrived to the moment of interest.

"_You have failed yet again Quirell. I do not normally tolerate failure." Harry stopped. The voice had come from an abandoned classroom. _

"_But master, if I act too openly we will be discovered. It is inconceivable that he survived the troll and the fall from his broom. If that damned Granger girl had not interfered."_

"That is most certainly professor Quirell Mr. Potter but he is not stuttering and the other voice does sound like that of professor Snape but that is the flaw with penseives as all is as one remembers it to be so it is tainted with our perception and prejudices. That is why pensieves hold little power in court."

"_Silence you fool. I have re-considered my plans for the boy. I shall still see him dead and broken at my feet but first I have other uses for him."_

_Bone of the father, unknowingly given,  
You will renew your son.  
Flesh of the servant, willingly given,  
You will revive your master.   
Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken,  
You will resurrect your foe. _

"_Using this ritual Quirell, Lord Voldermort shall rise again!"_

At this Harry looked at the headmaster.

"Yes Harry, I am aware of this ritual. It does have it's flaws but it could give Voldermort his body back."

Harry was about to ask a question but was silenced by the headmaster as Quirell began to speak again.

"_What of Flamel's stone"_

"_It is too well hidden. I was hoping that the old fool would simply rely on the schools wards and a few simple defenses but he has taken the stones safety to heart. He has probably hidden the stone under the Fidelius Charm."_

"And it is hidden under Fidelius. Of course, to tell you exactly where would put you at risk."

"So they were talking about the Philosopher Stone then and that IS the package Hagrid took from Gringotts when we where there. I also met professor Quirell there that day, we must have taken the stone out of there moments before he tried to steal it."

The two followed memory Harry as he crept quietly away.

"Yes Mr. Potter. Very astute observation. The stone was in Gringots and we felt it was no longer safe there."

"_Wandering the halls at night Mr. Potter?"_

"_Yes, professor Snape."_

"_We think ourselves above the rules? Do you think that winning, by pure chance, a game of quidditch exempts you from the rules?"_

"_No sir, but I just woke up in the hospital wing and was terribly hungry as I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I didn't want to wake up madame Pomfrey so I figured I'd go to the kitchens and ask for a sandwich or some left-overs."_

"_Be that as it may I believe that five points and detention tomorrow night are in order." _

_Harry's head lifted at this with indignation and he found himself staring straight into the eyes of the potion master._

_After a few moments, a calculating look came over the teacher._

"_Return to the hospital wing Potter and get some sleep as you have detention tomorrow. I will send a house elf to your bed with a meal in a few minutes."_

"And here Mr. Potter we have proof that the other voice was not that of professor Snape. He could not have met you from that direction if he was in the classroom with Professor Quirell."

"He could have dissaparated."

"No Mr. Potter. It is impossible to apparate or dissaparate on school grounds, the wards that protect Hogwarts prevent it."

_Harry returned to the hospital wing, sat down on his bed and thought for a time apparently playing with his amulet._

_Eventually, a house elf appeared next to his bed with a soft pop._

_The elf gave Harry a small shy smile, deposited a large platter of cold cuts, bread and juice and disappeared with a small wave._

_Harry had just made himself a nice sandwich when he put it down and went into the nurses office. Finding a book on poisons and poison detection, Harry sat down and taught himself a general purpose poison detection charm. After a wave of his wand, he was fairly certain that the food and drink were not poisoned._

_Harry took a tentative bite from his sandwich and waited a few moments. Seeing that nothing had gone wrong, Harry put the bezoar he had taken from the nurses office on his nightstand and continued to eat his sandwich._

The headmaster looked on to his student with a measure of regret. To be so young and already paranoid.

'But then again, it's not really paranoia if they REALLY are out to get you.' with that thought, they left the confines of Harry's memories.

Back in the office, they sat in silence for a time.

"Mr. Potter, you have given me much to consider and unfortunately these facts must be acted upon at once. I would like you to remain here in my office. Fawkes will keep watch over you until my return. Feel free to peruse some of the books in my collection or speak with the portraits or the sorting hat. I would request that you do not touch the instruments on the various tables as some of them are rather sensitive. Also please stay within the main office and do not enter my private quarters on the second level."

With that the headmaster stood up and quickly strode out of the office.

Harry just sat there for a few more moments a little overwhelmed by what had just transpired.

He had fully expected the headmaster to pat him on the head and send him back to class but instead he had calmly asked for more information and then went off to deal with the situation as if this type of occurrence happened every day.

"So Mr. Potter, we finally meet."

Harry looked around the office trying to determine where the voice came from.

"Over here Mr. Potter. Up on the wall behind the headmasters desk."

Looking around Harry noticed many of the portraits pointing in a direction. Finally understanding what had happened Harry followed their indications to the portrait of one Armando Dippet.

"Ah! Finally got your attention I see Mr. Potter. Good, good."

"Sorry sir, even after all this time I'm still not used to portraits talking to me."

"Understandable my boy, understandable. We are privy to much here in the headmasters office Mr. Potter. Now I see by your expression that you're a little overwhelmed by all this?" the old headmaster asked this question in a light friendly tone.

"A little. I didn't really know what to expect really but, well when the headmaster left just now it looked like he was just off for a quiet stroll instead of off to confront a potential murderer and dark wizard."

"Yes, Albus does have a rather eccentric _modus operandi_." came a drawling voice from Harry's right.

"Now, now Phineus. We all had our own ways of doing things."

"Oh! It was not really a criticism. I do not agree with the current headmaster on many things but he does have flair. He has a way of pulling peoples attention on himself while seeming inoffensive. For example, he has so thoroughly flummoxed young Potter here that the young man will not even consider trying to leave this office for a good hour at least while he tries to sort out what just happened."

"Now, now boys. Don't make me go over there and break you up. Dilys Derwent, Mr. Potter and I am also very happy to make your acquaintance."

A soft thrill came from Fawkes at this point.

"And that would be Fawkes. Many people say he is Albus's phoenix but I personally believe it is Albus that is Fawke's wizard."

With that the Phoenix extended it's beautiful wings and flew over to perch itself on Harry shoulder.

"Unicorns, Phoenixs ... you do seem to attract creatures of light Mr. Potter and that does much good to this old paintings acrylic heart." came the solemn comment from Armando Dippet's painting and the sentiment appeared mirrored in all of the old headmasters paintings.

"Hogwarts has produced far too many Dark Wizards in it's day. It is good to see a wizard so well entrenched on the side of light." this came from an ancient looking painting that until now had appeared to be of muggle origin.

Suddenly a soft pop was heard from behind Harry. The young wizard threw himself to the ground , Fawkes squawking with indignation, while drawing one of his two wands ready to fight off the attacker only to find a frightened house elf standing there, a tray of food spilled all over the floor, with a terrified look.

"I is being very sorry Harry Potter sir. I is Markin. I was told by Master Dumbledore that Harry Potter sir might be needing some food. I didn't mean to scare young master. I is a bad, bad house elf." And with this she grabbed the serving tray she had dropped and started hitting herself on the head repeatedly.

Seeing that the elf was obviously trying to do itself grievous physical harm, Harry pocketed his wand and quickly grabbed the tray from the elf.

"No, no. It's alright eh ... Markin you said?" with that the elf nodded.

"You just caught me by surprise. I'm just a bit jumpy right now."

Seeing that the elf was no longer looking to harm herself Harry made to give her the tray back.

"Now, your not going to start hitting yourself again are you?"

The house elf looked terrified but shook her head.

"No master Harry Potter sir. I is no longer going to punish myself."

"Good. Now I do have to admit I am a little hungry. Would it be possible to get some more food."

"Markin will come back in a moment master Potter." and she disappeared with a soft pop.

A few of the paintings were trying to hide their amusement at the scene that had just played out in front of them.

"Uhm ..." came Harry's intelligent comment.

"Rather good reflexes there boy."

"Uhm, thanks. I was wondering. I thought that it was impossible to apparate or disaparate inside Hogwarts."

Dylis Derwent was more than happy to answer that question.

"What house elves do is not apparition. It is a form of house elf magic. House elves are more powerful than people give them credit for and if they ever decided to revolt we would beg for a simple goblin rebellion."

A soft pop was heard from behind the door leading to the corridor.

"Master Potter sir. Markin is being here and will be popping into the office now."

The paintings laughed out loud at Harry's blush of embarrassment.

"Come on in Markin."

The little house elf popped into existence and placed a tray pilled high with food on the headmasters desk. There was much more food on this tray than there had been on the initial one. Also, instead of the normal metal utensils, Harry found silverware.

"Markin is hoping that master Potter is finding everything to his liking." and with that the house elf bowed and popped out of existence again.

Harry looked at the tray in front of him. He seriously doubted that he would need more food for the evening meal with all that he wad been given just now.

Harry had just picked up a small piece of chicken when he stopped himself. With a sigh he drew out his good wand and performed the poison detection charm he had found in the hospital wing only two days prior.

"Humm, good instincts Mr. Potter. But that spell is a little too simple. If you take the sixth book from the third row and look at page three-hundred and forty-two you will find a much better spell. It is a bit harder to perform but I have this ridiculous notion that you are actually smarter than the average cave troll."

"Now, now Phineus. It is sad that Mr. Potter here feels he must check his food for poison but at least he has done some research into the subject. I do however agree that that spell is a little limited and Mr. Potter, that spell that Phineus suggested is a very good choice and I should know seeing as I was an accomplished healer in my day." commented Dilys Derwent.

Harry grabbed the book, sat down in a chair and started reading. The spell was certainly complex but not impossible to do and having the minds of a few hundred ex headmasters helping teach him the spell sped things along quite well. After his sixth try, a loud cheer could be heard in the headmasters office as the paintings cheered for Harry as he finally managed to cast the spell.

The food and drink came out clean.

Relieved at this Harry sat down to read while nibbling at the food. The book was interesting enough, he had ask Silias and found that he did not contain most of these spells.

'Your parents were brilliant but young master Potter. The collection of books here started with the founders and every headmaster has added to it.' Silias replied with respect in his voice.

But the book was still unable to keep his curiosity in check. He had set things in motion and had no idea what was happening. Deciding to try and keep himself distracted a bit longer he went to the headmasters desk, grabbed a quill and some paper and started a letter to Ginny.

_Hello Ginny,_

_Crazy things are going on in here. Forget professors doing Legilimency on the students. I found out how the Troll got into the school, our defense against the dark arts teacher and another person let it in. They also threw me off my broom during my first game. We won the game by the way and I'm ok._

_I'm in the headmasters office right now while he's off dealing with the situation. I can't believe he believed me. I mean, what I told him was the truth but I was accusing one of his teachers of being a dark wizard. Worse thing is that it looks like he's bent on trying to bring Voldermort back to life! I showed him my memory of the conversation I overheard in something called a penseive, then he locked me in his office and rushed off. I'm just waiting for the headmaster to come back now._

_I think I might try to get myself a penseive. They're pretty cool._

_What else has happened. Oh! Yeah. I got detention for wandering the halls and went into the forest with Hagrid to help track down a wounded Unicorn. I made friends with it's mate and he allowed me to ride him through the forest. Did you know that Unicorns do something kind of like Legilimency but with emotions and ... well ... intent? It was pretty weird._

_Speaking of Legilimency and Occlumency, my notes for you are not ready yet so I'll have to send them off to you later._

_Thanks for the information on Legilimency and thank your dad for me as well._

_As to my Christmas plans. Well, the Dursleys don't like me. Actually, they hate me. That's why the professor came to my house this summer. They haven't given me a Christmas present or birthday present ever so I'll just stay here for hols. At least your brother will be here to keep me company._

_Well, that's pretty much it for now. I'll let you know what is going on with Quirell as soon as I know._

_Harry Potter._

Harry rolled up the scroll sealed it as usual and put it on the table. Fawkes gave a trill, landed on the desk and presented his leg.

"Well, I don't want to put you out or anything Fawkes."

The Phoenix trilled another beautiful note and and presented his leg again.

Harry took the note and attached it to the phoenix's leg. Before he could even tell the phoenix where to deliver the letter, the beautiful bird swooped off the desk and disappeared in a massive fireball.

Before Harry even had the chance to think about asking the question, Phineus Nigelus commented.

"It is not apparition."

Fawkes returned in another burst of flames.

"Damn! That was fast!"

The phoenix crooned a self-satisfied note and approached Harry practically demanding to be pet.

Harry spent the next few hours petting Fawkes, reading some of the books the headmaster had, speaking with the portraits and nibbling on the food Markin had brought him.

Eventually the headmaster returned.

()()()()()()()()()() Were just a hedge, move along.

Confrontation

Albus Dumbledore strode purposefully from his office towards the charms classroom.

On the way he met one of the Gryffindor house prefects.

"Ah! Mr. Weasley. What a fortuitous encounter. I would need you to do a quick round of the grounds and order any student's currently there to return to their common rooms and to remain there until further notice. Could you also see to it that any students in the great hall return to their common room as well. They are to do this quietly and without any detours."

"Of course headmaster."

"Oh and Percy, please pass on these instruction to any other prefects you meet but ask them to see to another part of the castle."

And with that he started off again towards the charms classroom.

"Professor Flitwick, if I may have a moment of your time please?"

The classroom was in disarray. Pillows were everywhere and students were laughing as they banished pillows at their fellow classmates.

"Continue with the banishing charm for now please."

The two professors exited the classroom.

"What is it Albus?"

"It would appear that Quirell is attempting to bring back Voldermort and has tried to kill young Mr. Potter on at least two occasions. I am about to confront him but I need all the students back in their common room for their safety. Could you see to it that all the classes are canceled and have the other teachers meet me by the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom?"

"Of course Albus, of course."

With that the diminutive teacher ran off towards the Transfiguration classroom.

The headmaster entered the charms classroom and addressed the students there.

"If I may have your attention please. Classes have been canceled until further notice. All students are required to immediately return to their common room and remain there until further notice. Food will be sent to the common rooms. You are to go straight to your common room with no detours whatsoever and please do this in a quiet and calm fashion. Thank-you."

The class packed up quickly and headed out the door. During this time, the headmaster had called a house elf and had given it instructions to care for Harry.

With the class emptied, the headmaster started off towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Halfway there he met one of the fifth year Hufflepuff prefects.

"Mr. Morrisson, why are you out of class?"

This was not good, since the Hufflepuff fifth years had Defense class at this time with the Ravenclaws.

"Oh good headmaster. I'm glad I stumbled on you, I was just looking for a teacher."

"Where is professor Quirell?"

"Well you see, that's just the problem. It was the strangest thing. During class he kept glancing at something on his desk when suddenly he got a panicked look on his face and ran off out of the room."

The headmaster shook his head in dismay. They must have given themselves away somehow. Taking out his wand he pointed it to his throat and whispered a spell.

"All students are to return to their common room immediately and remain there until further notice. All teachers and ghosts are to report to the defense corridor immediately." The headmasters voice was audible throughout the whole of Hogwarts.

The hallways filled with confused students and a few moments later the professors and ghosts were all present in the defense corridor.

"What is going on Albus?" asked the Hufflepuff Head of House.

"It would appear that professor Quirell is a dark wizard in league with those who would see Voldermorts return."

This statement brought gasps from all the assembled teachers.

"What make ye say that Albus?"

"I have it from a very reliable source Minerva. Mr. Potter overheard a conversation two days ago and I have viewed it in a penseive. I was just on the way to confront professor Quirell but he apparently knew I was on my way and fled."

"What can we do now professor."

"Well Myrtle, I would like the house ghosts to guard their respective houses. Mr. Potter is safe in my office with Fawkes. The rest of us will initiate emergency search procedures. Professor Flitwick if you would accompany me in searching the defense classroom for some clues. Oh and Sir Nicholas, if you could inform Harry's friends in Gryffindor that he is well and safe please."

The teachers and ghost paired off. One ghost and one teacher and each group went it's separate way. The headmaster and charms professor began a methodical search of the defense classroom and office.

"Ah! Albus, I found a foe glass on the desk. That must have been what alerted Quirell of your imminent arrival."

Finding nothing of immediate use, the professors continued the search of the castle.

Many hours later the teachers met in the staff room to report. No trace had been found of the defense teacher.

It was past the evening meal by now and the headmaster and teachers returned to their respective quarters.

Sitting there eating some cold chicken while reading a book and petting Fawkes was Harry Potter. The boy had apparently not noticed the headmasters entrance and continued to read a book on wards. The paintings directly behind the young boy were filled with headmasters from other portraits who were reading over the boys shoulder and offering advice and comments on the material.

"Once a teacher always a teacher is that right professor Dippet."

Harry looked up quickly from his book and the paintings grinned back at the headmaster.

"Mr. Potter, I am sorry to say that unfortunately professor Quirell managed to evade us this day and remains a threat."

"What happened, was there a big fight?"

"No Mr. Potter. Professor Quirell had a foe glass on his desk and it warned him of my intentions so he ran. We have not seen hide nor hair of him since and the castle has been search from top to bottom."

The headmaster sat wearily at his desk and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I am very glad that you came to us with the information you had. The consequences could have been dire indeed."

"Why does he want me dead so badly?" the question was asked so quietly that the headmaster was not sure if it had been addressed to him at all.

"That is why I sent you to live with your relatives Mr. Potter. Many of Voldermort's old supporters wish you harm for having 'defeated' their master so many years ago."

"But that doesn't explain why he tried to kill me in the first place. My parents said it was because they had annoyed him but that there was more to it than that but it was not safe to put even in that letter."

"There is a reason Mr. Potter but now is not the time for you to know it. Ask me again in a few years time and I will tell you all."

Here the headmaster took a deep breath.

"When your mother died protecting you she used her dying breath to seal a protection charm. Your mother worked as an unspeakable for the department of mysteries and it is my belief that she had been working on a way to counter the more immediate of the unforgivables, the AVADA KADAVRA When we found you within the ruins of the house your parents were hiding in in Godrick's Hollow, I found the fading traces of the charm on you and quickly divined some of it's function and purpose. Not enough to allow me to re-create the charm but enough to modify it slightly. I was able to power the charm by having you stay with your only blood relative, your aunt Petunia. Unfortunately she did not show you the love I had hoped she would and the charm is much weaker than I had hoped and so now you must return to your aunts and uncle for a few weeks every summer to recharge the protection. I believed, when I placed you with the Dursleys, that they would raise you as their own but the environment you grew up in Harry is not acceptable. We need to discuss your living arrangements for the summer Mr. Potter. The ideal situation, for your magical protection, would be for you to return to your aunts and uncles for the summer but if you wish we can find alternate solutions."

Harry's face broke into a smile at this.

"The protections that could be offered would not be as good as the ones you have while living with your aunt and cousin but I am afraid that living at the Dursleys may cause more harm than good."

"Where would I go for the summer then Professor?"

"Well, several people have offered, on several occasions ... actually every time they see me or write to me, to have you live with them. There is also the possibility of you staying here at Hogwarts but that would involve a lot of maneuvering with the board of directors. I would like you to think on it and let me know in the new year what it is you would like to do Harry. Now, I will escort you back to your common room and let you sleep."

Harry put down the book he had been reading and deposited Fawkes back on his perch. When he turned around he found the headmaster reading the title of the book that he had been reading.

"Interesting choice Mr. Potter. What made you select a book on wards?"

"Well, you told me it was impossible to apparate because of the wards so it was kind of fresh on my mind. Especially after seeing house elves pop in and out of here and Fawkes disappearing in a huge ball of fire."

"You may borrow this book if you wish. It is a rare volume so I would ask you be careful with it."

"Oh I couldn't headmaster. I'd be too worried about damaging it and honestly without the headmasters helping me I'd be totally lost."

'TAKE THE BOOK, TAKE THE BOOK! I don't know anything from that book.' Silias was frantic in his request.

"I insist Mr. Potter and if you ever have a question you can ask professor Flitwick or myself for help."

With this he handed the book back to the young wizard.

The headmaster pointed his wand to his throat and whispered a spell.

"Emergency curfew has been lifted. A gathering has been called in the great hall for tomorrow morning at breakfast and all students must attend. That is all."

With that the headmaster and the Boy-Who-Lived walked back to Gryffindor Tower.


	23. Chapter 22: The Map

The Map

Harry's return to Gryffindor Tower was eventful to say the least. His return with professor Dumbledore along with his extended absence had everyone questioning him.

Thankfully Ron, Hermione and the Twins rescued him and dragged him to the first year dormitory.

"Oh Harry, we were so worried when professor Dumbledore showed up in charms today."

Hermione was wringing her hands nervously.

"Yeah mate. I know we told you to tell him about what you had heard but this is a bit much don't you think. I told you he'd take you more seriously than a normal student. He basically shut down the school on your say so."

Ron was grinning a bit but it was obvious he was dying to find out what had happened.

"Well, I thought he was going to kick me out of school after I accused Quirell but then we looked the facts over and he rushed out of his office."

"What the ..."

"Bloody Hell ..."

"Are you three ..."

"Talking about?" alternated the twins.

Harry then went on to explain to the twins about the conversation he had overheard and then filled them all in on the events that transpired in the headmasters office.

"Bloody Hell!" cried out the twins in unison.

"You can say th.. that again." came Neville's voice from his canopied bed.

Unknown the the Weasleys, Hermione and Harry, all the first year dorm mates were in the room as well and had overheard the whole conversation.

"Sorry if we were eve's dropping there Harry." Seamus looked a little ashamed.

"Don't worry about it Seamus. Dumbledore is going to tell the school most of this. You just got more information than most is all. I don't think any of this is secret really."

"But, you said that you have a pro .. protection against the killing curse?"

"We don't know Neville. Also the professor says that because, well, because of how the Dursleys are, that the protection is pretty weak so I won't be throwing myself in front of any killing curses anytime soon. And Dumbledore isn't even sure that's what the charm is for. I'd appreciate it if you all kept that information to yourselves."

He received nods from all the occupants of the room.

"Harry," Harry turned around to look at Hermione. Her head was tilted sideways trying to read the title of the book he had in his hands. "Is that Emanuel Formant's 'A Comprehensive Guide to Wards'? "

"Uhm, yeah. I think that's what it's called."

"Where did you get it. From what I understand there are only about fifty copies left in the world!"

'I really like this girl. She's a kindred spirit. I wonder if she likes American Jazz?' commented Silias.

"The headmaster told me to make myself comfortable while he went to deal with Quirell. He gave me access to his collection of books and I grabbed this one. The portraits of the old headmasters were helping me understand it and Dumbledore insisted I borrow it."

Hermione had an envious look on her face.

"I'll ask the headmaster if you can borrow it too Hermione. I'm sure it would make more sense to you than it does to me."

This seemed to satisfy the witch.

"Actually, here." With that Harry pointed his wand at the book and cried out an incantation. "Effingo Libri!" then quickly flicked his wand to a pile of blank parchment on his table. Quickly, the scrolls started filling up with text and diagrams.

Harry took the scrolls and handed them to Hermione.

"There, you now have your own copy. You'll have to arrange it into a book somehow but at least now you have a copy."

Harry looked at his friends, they were staring at him as if he had grown a second head.

"Harry mate. What was that spell?" asked either Fred or George.

"That was a copying charm my mom created after Hogwarts. Why?"

"Does it work on magical writings?"asked the other Twin.

"Nope, just normal writings ... again, why?"

"No reason." They both replied in unison, looking slightly disappointed. "But you need to teach us that spell. It would save so much work.

"And I could make copies of all the books I want from the Library!" piped in Hermione.

Harry spent twenty minutes teaching them the spell. They had the basics down and just needed to practice the spell. They discussed the days events from their various points of view for a time and then decided to retire for the night.

Next morning, the atmosphere was tense in the great hall as everyone waited for the Headmaster to explain what had happened the day before.

Before the food appeared on the tables, the headmaster stood up. There was no need to ask for silence as the whole of the student body was waiting for this information.

"It saddens me to inform you that professor Quirell has gone missing under strange circumstances. We have received information that he may have been a dark wizard but we are unable to confirm or disprove this information as he apparently fled the castle before I could confront him."

Furious whispering broke out in the great hall as stunned students conferred with their classmates.

"I would ask you all to keep a vigilant eye out for professor Quirell. If you do see him you are not to approach him or attempt to capture him. Simply notify a professor or ghost. Also, Aurors will be conducting an investigation and I would ask you to cooperate with them. Classes for the day are canceled and Defense Classes are canceled until we can find a temporary replacement. All students are required to return to their common rooms until further notice as the Aurors search the school."

The rest of the day was uneventful. Harry lost many games of Wizards chess to Ron until Hermione reminded Ron that he still had homework to do. The twins had been sitting quietly in a corner with Lee Jordan talking about something earnestly. This had most of Gryffindor Tower worried as it usually pre-cursored a major prank.

The portrait hole creaked open some time before lunch and the Gryffindor head of house entered, accompanied by a tall black man. The man was bald and wearing one gold earing. He carried with him an air of authority and power.

"Mr. Potter, if we could speak with you for a moment?" asked the Transfiguration Professor.

On their way to her office, she introduced the Auror accompanying them.

"Mr. Potter, this is Kingsley Shacklebolt. He is one of the Auror's assigned to this case."

Harry shook the tall Auror's hand.

"Mr. Potter, a pleasure to meet you."

"I hope I'm not in trouble."

"Of course not Mr. Potter. Why do you always assume you are in trouble. Have you been following in your father's footsteps?"

"No professor McGonngall. I think the school has enough with the Weasley twins. There's no need to bring back the Marauders ... yet." replied Harry with an impish grin.

Kingsley let out a small snort at that comment and tried a fake cough to cover it.

They finally entered the deputy headmistresses office and sat down around a small coffee table.

"Now Mr. Potter. We were told that you overheard a conversation that led to this situation. Can you tell us exactly what happened?"

"Uhm, no Mr. Shacklebolt. I can't."

The two adults looked at each other confused.

"What do you mean Mr. Potter? The headmaster asked the students to cooperate with the investigation."

"Sorry professor. I can't because the headmaster still has that memory in his pensieve."

"Ah! I see." the transfiguration teacher turned to the Auror "Albus was rather preoccupied yesterday. I will go fetch the pensieve." and with that she left the office.

"You can't tell me anything until we get the pensieve back?"

"Well, I did watch the memory in the pensieve but it's more like telling you about the memory of a memory. It's not as clear."

The two sat there in uncomfortable silence for a time. Kingsley attempted to break the tension.

"So, do you like your classes?"

"They're ok. Defense was a joke. Quirell didn't teach us anything."

"What's your favorite class?"

"Right now Charms, Professor Flitwick is a lot of fun."

"Good, good."

Harry noticed that the Auror kept throwing glances at his scar.

"I don't remember anything from when I got it Mr. Shaklebolt." he said pointing at his scar. "I was only one at the time."

The Auror had the decency to look ashamed.

"Sorry Mr. Potter. It's just that your scar is legend and all the Aurors would give their wand hand to find out how you survived the curse, it's taken too many of our co-workers and friends."

"But Voldermort" Harry frowned as the Auror shivered at the name. "But he's been gone for years now."

"Other wannabe dark lords have come and gone. None of them were as successful as HE was but they still caused some damage. And that curse is not restricted to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He just favored it."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that. Sorry."

They sat in silence again for a time. Kingsley went to a small desk and made them some tea.

Harry waved his wand over it, performing the poison detection charm he had learned the night before, before drinking it. This brought a look of surprise from the Auror but nothing was said of it.

After a few minutes Minerva McGonagall returned carrying an ancient stone bowl.

"Now, there we are. With your permission Mr. Potter we would like to view your memory?"

"Of course professor. I'll stay out here and keep watch."

The Auror looked doubtful at this but reached forward and put a finger into the bowl. The transfiguration teacher quickly followed.

Harry decided that the best use of this time would be studying.

Being in the transfiguration teachers office, he felt that transfiguration would be a good subject to study and seeing that his professor was an animagus what better subject than the animagus transformation.

Forty minutes later later Harry came out of his trance.

'Bloody Hell that's complicated.' He thought to himself. He now understood why it had taken his father, Sirius and Peter almost three years to manage the transformation. Of course a lot of that time had been spent researching it all. Harry had an advantage in Silias but, like Occlumency, the transformation was very advanced magic and would take him a very long time to achieve. His Occlumency would actually help him if he managed to achieve the next level as it helped organize thoughts but still. He now understood why many people didn't bother trying to become animagi.

The two adults stirred from their position around the pensieve.

Kingsley Shaklebolt started scribbling some notes in a small pad while the transfiguration teacher regained her composure.

After a few minutes of scribbling the Auror looked up from his notepad to Harry.

"Well Mr. Potter. That was most enlightening. I was wondering if it would be possible for us to borrow this memory. The boys in the DoM might be able to get some more information on that ritual and your memory is the most reliable source we have. We promise to bring the memory back I'll have some paperwork for you as a guarantee."

"The dome?"

"No, no Mr. Potter. The Department of Mysteries. The unspeakables there know a lot about strange, restricted or forbidden magic. I believe the ritual spoken of in your memory is from a branch of Necromancy."

"I don't mind Mr. Shaklebolt. I have the memory of seeing the memory and that will do for now."

"Also, you may wish to press charges against the professor for the attacks. We would need to find him first but you could be compensated for this. You may wish to have your guardians contact a solicitor."

Harry simply nodded and decided to contact Griffhack.

"Good, good. Well, the Aurors should be finished checking the school by tonight so for now we'll escort you back to your common room."

His return was almost as bad as his return from the night before. The Gryffindors wanted to know that Harry's part in the investigation was but again he was rescued by the Twins and his friends. Lee Jordan, Fred and George's best friend, was also present.

"Harry, we have something to ask you." whispered one of the twins. "We have something that could help the investigation ..."

"But we're worried that the teachers would confiscate it from us if we showed it to them." finished the other twin.

The remained silent for a time looking each other in they eye for a moment before nodding.

One of the twins took an old battered piece of parchment from his pocket, took his wand and intoned a very unexpected phrase.

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."

Now this was surprising for it's content. After all the twins we're always up to no good. What was amazing was that Harry had not expected them to have the item he was now looking at.

"The Marauders Map!" he whispered in an awed voice.

The twins looked at him in confusion.

"How in the bloody hell do you know about the map?"

Harry gently touched the map looking as it formed the corridors of the castle with small dots representing the Aurors and teachers searching the castle.

"My dad, godfather and their two best friends made it."

He had never expected to see it since it had been taken by Filtch over thirteen years ago.

"Your father was a marauder?" they exclaimed in surprise.

Ron looked at them all in confusion while Hermione looked like all she wanted to do at this moment was rush to the library and research how the map worked.

"My father was Prongs."

"What are you lot talking about. Mind cluing the clueless in here?"

"Ronald. It's apparent that your brothers have been using this map to play their pranks. The map was created by Harry's father and his friends. The map also appears to show where everyone is located which is why they wanted to show it to Harry. Harry could bring it to Dumbledore and they could use it to search for Quirell but the twins would really like it back."

"Not if Harry's father was Prongs." intoned one of the twins in a serious voice.

"Right o brother o' mine. This map should go to Harry as a family heirloom." continued the other in an equally serious voice.

"Well, as long as we are allowed to borrow it once in a while."

"Of course, that goes without saying. After all we did rescue it from the Marauders rather large file in Filche's office."

"At great personal risk to ourselves."

Harry finally broke out of his trance.

"I have to give this to Dumbledore right away." and with that he took the map and went to the portrait hole.

As he reached the entrance to the Tower Harry realized that he was being followed. Turning around he found his friends crowded around him waiting for him to open the portrait.

"We're are you all going?" he asked.

"With you." they all cried in unison.

The rest of Gryffindor Tower looked at the strange group as if they were mad.

"Look, we could all get expelled for leaving the tower. This way, only I get expelled."

"No one ..."

"Will stumble on us ..."

"While we use the map ..." alternated the twins.

Harry was starting to wonder how they did that.

"And anyways Harry if you do end up in trouble it would be better to have a few of us along to help you out or to run for help." were Ron's words of wisdom.

"Or write your eulogy." chirped one of the twins happily.

Hermione gave the twin a look of horror.

"Fred or George Weasley! How can you say such a thing?"

Harry simply started laughing.

"Alright. Let's get going then."

Using the map, they easily found the headmaster in the great hall. He was accompanied by a few Aurors, Knigsley included, and teachers.

"Professor!" Harry cried out as he approached the assembled adults.

"Potter! The school is currently in lock down. I would think that even someone cursed with such a great disregard for the rules as yourself would be intelligent enough to avoid wandering the halls while there is a potential dark wizard on the loose."

Harry ignored the potions master and went straight to the headmaster.

"Sir, we have something that could help you with the search but we want it back."

"What is it Mr. Potter?"

Harry dragged the headmaster to a corner and took out the map.

"By Merlin's beard. Where did you get this Mr. Potter?"

"Fred and George have had it for a few years now. It was made by my father and his friends. Using this you could search the castle in a matter of minutes."

"Yes, this would be of immense help. May we borrow it for a few days Mr. Potter?"

"Of course professor. But I would like it back."

"Of course Mr. Potter, of course. This magnificent artifact does not transgress any school rules that I am aware of, but now I believe I know how the Weasleys have been able to get away with their pranks all these years."

The headmaster gave Harry an amused look and turned his head to the terrible twosome, giving them a small nod.

Harry could swear he heard one of the twins whisper. "Told you he wouldn't be mad."

The headmaster gave Harry a small pat on the shoulder and turned to his deputy headmistress.

"Minerva, if you could escort your charges back to the tower and no need for any kind of disciplinary action. What they have brought us here today was of great importance in securing the school."

With that the headmaster strode back to the Aurors showing them the map. Gasps of surprise where heard from the group of adults as Minerva McGonagall escorted the students back to their common room.


	24. Chapter 23: Of Unicorns

Of Unicorns.

An announcement had come that evening. Quirell had not been found within the school but the school was secure. They were to report to a prefect, head boy or head girl, teacher or ghost if he was spotted but for now things were to return to normal.

It had been a few days since the end of the lock down and finally the students started to relax a bit more. The headmaster had yet to return the map but Harry was not worried, the headmaster had shown a great deal of trust in Harry and Harry would return it in kind.

Harry had been to see the Unicorns on a few occasions and professor Kettleburn had asked if he would be available to help teach a lesson on Unicorns later in the week. Harry agreed and so would be allowed to miss out on his Friday classes. Of course Hermione was a little envious that he would be allowed to attend classes for third up to seventh year CoMC classes.

Ron and Hermione had been to visit the unicorns with Harry and Hagrid a few times as well. The female was healing nicely and walking around. It had taken a shinning to her rescuers and to Hermione and would allow Ron close as long as Harry was around. The same could be said of the Stallion. Harry had ridden Swifthoof, as Harry liked to refer to him, a few times but it would not allow anyone else to do so.

Harry was currently in History of Magic and only he and Hermione were still awake. Hermione was doing her best to keep focused on what the professor was saying so she could take notes but Harry could not be bothered. Instead he took the latest letter he had received from Ginny.

_Harry,_

_Are you TRYING to give my mom a heart attack? We were sitting down for dinner when suddenly a huge fireball erupted over the table. We thought we were under attack or something. Then mom recognized Fawkes and thinking the letter was from the headmaster for her she opened it and started reading._

_She read through the whole thing before going white and passing the note to me with an APOLOGY! Mom has never apologized for accidentally reading our mail before!_

_Then she sat down and wrote/yelled a howler for Dumbledore._

_Now, I haven't heard from you yet about Quirell but mom says everything is under control apparently she floo called the school last night._

_Mom was a bit worried when she read about you sending me notes on REALLY advanced magic but I think that she is just linking it to the Unicorns. By the way, I'm still waiting for your notes on that._

_I'm sorry to hear about your family. I guess I kind of take mine for granted sometimes._

_I can't believe anyone would be that cruel, no gifts for Christmas or your birthday? I mean our gifts aren't the most expensive in the world but we always get something. Usually something hand made._

_Well, that's it for me. Write me back soon._

_Oh and sorry for Erol. I'm sure he made a mess when he delivered this letter. He is very old and has a tendency to crash instead of landing._

_Ginny Weasley_

Erol had certainly made a mess at breakfast. The bird looked like it was going to die any minute now.

Harry decided to wait until after the CoMC classes to write back. He would most likely have some interesting stories to tell then.

Harry nudged Ron awake.

"1462 professor." Ron mumbled thinking he had been asked a question.

"It's just me Ron."

"What is it Harry. I was having a good dream. My dad had won a lottery and the whole family went to Egypt to see my brother."

"Sorry mate, I was just bored."

Hermione huffed angrily. "Well if you took notes you wouldn't be bored."

"But Hermione, I have trouble staying awake when I'm actually trying to block his voice out. It's like his voice is spelled to put us to sleep. If he would just change his tone once in a while. Honestly, how can anyone pass this class? How can you even concentrate on what he's saying?"

"Yeah 'mione." Ron yawned. "Since your taking notes we don't all have to suffer do we?"

Hermione stopped writing and looked at her friend. If her eyes could shoot laser beams, Ron would have been incinerated on the spot.

"Just for that comment Ronald Weasley I will NOT be lending you my notes."

'Here it starts' Thought Harry to himself.

Hermione had stopped taking notes while she argued with Ron so Harry picked up where she had left off. He knew from experience that they would work it out eventually and by helping Hermione, Harry was at least insured the loan of her notes. It also kept him busy and out of the argument while they argued.

The argument continued for the rest of the class. The professor was as oblivious as usual but it did attract the attention of a few students who found it a rather pleasant source of entertainment.

By supper time, Hermione and Ron had settled down a tad and at least speaking civilly.

A few more days past and finally Harry's CoMC day was upon him.

At breakfast, Harry had barely touched his plate he was so nervous. He was going to help teach a class of people who were two to seven years his elders.

Hermione noticing his anxiety tried to reassure him.

"Don't worry overmuch Harry. You'll just be assisting the professor. Your probably there to just to facilitate interaction between the students and your two friends."

"Yeah mate, it's not like Malfoy is in any of these classes." Ron said happily while chewing his breakfast "But you do get my brothers." He added worriedly.

Harry started banging his head on the table.

"Now Mr. Potter." Came the kindly, elderly voice of professor Kettleburn from behind him. "Injuring yourself will not get you out of todays lesson. Now if you will follow me."

"Good luck Harry."

"Yeah good luck mate."

With that Harry walked out of the great hall towards the stables.

Harry looked on nervously at the assembled students.

The first class of the day was Gryffindors and Slytherin third years. This meant that Gred and Forge were there.

As if sensing his anxiety, and Harry thought that Swifthoof just might be doing that right now, the stallion neighed and nudged him with his nose in a reassuring way.

"Now class, we have a special treat for you." started the Professor as the class gathered around the paddock where Harry and the Unicorns were located.

The girls, from both houses present, squealed in delight at seeing the unicorns.

"It is usually very difficult for us to be able to get two willing unicorns to attend class but thanks to Hagrid and Mr. Potters help we have two very friendly unicorns with us here today."

At this Fred and George started whistling and shouting out Harry's name to his eternal mortification.

"Yes, yes Misters Weasley. I'm sure you are very proud of your fellow Gryffindor's accomplishment but any more disturbances in my class will result in points taken."

With that the Twins quieted down but gave Harry a huge, happy grin.

"Now Mr. Potter, if you could give us a report on Unicorns if you please."

Harry looked at the professor in a panic. He had nothing prepared. He had thought as Ron and Hermione had. He had figured that he would simply be there to calm the unicorns and let the students approach them not actually make a presentation.

He coughed slightly in a vain attempt to gain some time to marshal his thoughts.

The Slytherins sneered while the Gryffindors were giving him signs of encouragement.

The professor apparently misunderstood the gesture as shyness.

"Now, now Mr. Potter, no need to be shy."

'Come on now master Potter, you've probably had more experience with Unicorns than the teacher, you can do this.' came Silias's reassuring voice in his mind.

Thinking back to his detention with Hagrid, Harry plunged in.

"Well ... uhmmm. Normally you would only learn about them in your fourth year but as the professor said it's hard to get Unicorns for classes so you all get to see them this year in case theres no such chance next year."

His voice was shaky. Harry stopped to clear his throat. He looked at the audience and at least the Slytherins weren't laughing at him yet.

"As you can see they look like white horses both stallion and mare. They're born with a golden coat that turns silver after a few years, a horn at around four and their coat turns white at around seven. As you can also tell their hooves are golden."

The Slytherins had stopped sneering and were now taking notes like the Gryffindors. This gave Harry a bit more courage.

"Their blood is a silvery-blue color and shines brightly in the moonlight. When they're younger they can be approached by both guys and girls but as they grow older they get a bit skittish around guys."

"Then why are they standing so close to you then. Something we need to know about you Potter?" challenged one of the Slytherins. The rest of the Slytherins laughed while the Gryffindors started grumbling and throwing dirty looks.

"Fifteen points from Slytherin for your impertinence Mr. Sandhorn. Mr. Potter is making some of his time available to give you some of his first hand experience with Unicorns, you should show some respect for that if not gratitude. Mr. Potter here will have to work hard all week-end to catch up to the classes he missed today. But I would also be interested in hearing how you have become friends with creatures so strongly aligned with the light."

Harry looked around at the students again. He noticed that some of the Gryffindors were bent down to pick up their books they had dropped.

'Were they going to start a fight for me?' Harry thought to himself.

He looked into Swifthoof's eyes and felt feelings of protection and caring. He saw, from the stallions perspective what the Gryffindors had been up to after the the none too subtle innuendo from Slytherin. Many of the boys and some of the girls had dropped their books and rolled up their sleeves as if getting ready for a fight. Feelings of protection and concern were coming from them.

Harry broke the contact and patted the stallions nose fondly.

"Mr. Potter? What was it you were doing there?"

"Sorry professor. Swifthoof, well that's what I call him. Swifthoof had something to tell me."

"'Something to tell you' Mr. Potter?"

"Yeah, he shares images and emotions with me. That's how we, well talk ... kinda."

"How interesting. Now class, Mr. Potters situation here is not unheard of. It is certainly rare but not unique. Much like Phoenixes, Unicorns will sometimes find someone they feel is worthy of their friendship. Unlike a Phoenix, a unicorns friendship is more aloof. They do not bond like a Phoenix does but form a loose friendship that can last decades. Most who find themselves in such a friendship keep the details very close and not much is documented. What you are learning now will not be part of the ministry curriculum but would make for a very interesting research paper so make sure you keep those notes as few people get this rare opportunity. Now Mr. Potter please tell us how your friendship came about."

Harry started explaining about getting detention from Snape. The Slytherins chuckled at this while the Gryffindors grumbled. He gave them a mostly unedited story only keeping the description of the attacker and the centaurs warning to himself.

"So let me get this straight Harry." started one of the twins.

"For detention ..."

"The school sent you ..."

"An ickle firsty ..."

"Out into the forbidden forest ..."

"To help hunt ..."

"Something powerful enough ..."

"Not to mention evil enough ..."

"To take on two fully grown unicorns?"

The rest of the class started mumbling angrily at this, even the Slytherins.

"Are they mental?" whispered Angelina.

Even the professor looked somewhat concerned about this.

"Well, I'm sure the professors knew what they were doing. Now, if you would line up. You are to approach the unicorns and try to pet them a bit. Groups of three or less please as to not frighten the poor beasts and if Mr. Potter asks you to back off or anything else really you are to obey him right on. The unicorns will only suffer the presence of the boys thanks to Mr. Potters presence and the mare has been injured and is a tad bit skittish."

After a time, one of the Slytherin girls looked up to Harry.

"Potter! It looks like this unicorn was bitten. Could it have been a vampire."

"Nope. I thought of that but Unicorn blood is deadly to vampires."

"Then why would someone want to drink it's blood." came an anonymous voice in the crowd.

Harry was about to answer when the teacher quickly interrupted.

"If we knew that, we would have apprehended the beast that did this." The professor gave Harry a pointed look and they continued on with the class.

The rest of the class went on with little fuss. Harry was only forced to ask a few of the Slytherins to back away from the unicorns as they became restless. Thankfully the students involved did not cause a fuss and things went on from there. At the end of the class, Fred and George along with a few other Gryffindors came up to Harry.

"Great class professor Potter." said Angelina with a smirk on her lips.

"Yeah Harry, it was bloody awesome." piped in Lee Jordan.

Harry started to blush from the attention.

"I wasn't teaching the class guys, just helping out."

"Don't underestimate your usefulness in this class Mr. Potter. Your knowledge of Unicorns rivals my own and I teach this subject."

The Gryffindors took their leave and headed back to the castle.

"You might be wondering why I stopped you from answering the question about blood."

"It did cross my mind professor."

"The information you were about to give the students is not widely known Mr. Potter. At least if you were about to say what I think you were about to say."

"About Unicorns blood granting extended life but cursing the drinker?"

"Yes Mr. Potter. I have no idea how you came upon this information."

"My friend Hermione knew about it."

"Ah! Miss Granger has quite the reputation already. I'm afraid I won't have anything to teach her by the time she joins my class in a few years." laughed the professor.

The rest of the day went fairly well. Harry now knew what was expected of him and felt less intimidated. Classes with Gryffindor's were the best as they clearly showed their support for one of their own.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. The Care of Magical Creatures Teacher asked me to help him with classes on unicorns for ALL the upper years and then I had to do some makeup work for the classes I had missed so that kept me busy. Then a few things were about to happen so I figured I would wait a few more days and put it all in one letter._

_I'm sorry about Fawkes. I was locked in the headmasters office and decided to write to you there. Fawkes offered to take the letter and before I had a chance to even tell him where you lived or even that the letter was for you he burst into flames and disappeared. He then came back acting all smug and demanding I pet him. _

_Your mom read the letter? I wonder if she asked the headmaster about using Legilimency on the students. I haven't heard anything so I guess she hasn't._

_Speaking of Legilimency, attached are some exercises you can start on to help you clear your mind. It's really hard. Just follow the notes and once you manage that let me know and we can start you on the next step. Don't worry if you have trouble doing it, it's really hard and most adults can't do it or don't bother learning how._

_Ok, here is the Quirell update. He vanished. We have no idea how or where but he isn't in the school. We know this for a fact because the twins had a map called 'The Marauders Map' that map was made by my dad and his friends. It shows every secret corridor or room they found and tracks everyone in the school. Apparently it can't be fooled either. The twins gave me the map after we discovered my father had made it and I lent it to the headmaster._

_Now about my family, don't worry about it. Things are much better now that I don't have to live with them. The headmaster explained why I have to go there and said there are a few alternate solutions. He said I could probably spend the summer and hols somewhere else but I need to let him know what my plans are at the start of the new year so he can start on the preparations._

_In other news, I had a chance to help teach Care of Magical Creatures for a full day. It was a little intimidating but fun. Oh and the unicorns went back to the forest today. Swifthoof let me know he would come back and visit once in a while._

_Well, that's about it._

_Write back soon._

_Harry Potter._


	25. Chapter 24: And all through the school

And all through the School, not a creature was stirring not even a rat.

The following weeks went by with little or no fuss and Christmas was approaching fast. Seeing that he was unable to go out of the school to make his purchases, Harry made heavy use of Hedwig for Owl orders. A Yule Ball was being organized for the upper years with a small celebration for the lower years in each common room, the night before the students were to leave for the holidays. Harry looked on at the upper years as the boys attempted to find dates for the dance and laughed a bit. The girls on the other hand were all acting slightly insane and giggling all the time.

Malfoy, still steaming over Slytherins defeat in Quidditch, tried his best to humiliate Harry but most people were very impressed with how well he had played and how he had helped teach a CoMC class. Also, the rumour had been spread that professor Quirell had been the one to jinx Harry's broom and so no one thought too badly of him falling off.

Harry hadn't made much progress on Occlumency yet but from the information Silias provided, that was not surprising. It was a rather complicated technique. His classes on the other hand continued on as they always did. They were easy but at least interesting, well except for History of Magic of course. If his Occlumency was not progressing quickly then his delving into the animagus transformation was at a stand still. Harry had decided to wait until he got better at Occlumency since that would help him with the transformation. Also, Silias had indicated that his magic was not developed enough yet to allow for the transformation.

Harry, Ron and Hermione helped the teachers, at Hagrid's request decorate the great hall for the ball.

Professor Flitwick taught them a handful of decoration spells. The hardest of which was the tinsel conjuring charm. Conjuration required a lot of power and conjuring tinsel taxed the trios limited resources.

The night of the Yule ball found the Gryffindor common room in pandemonium. The upper years, fourth and up, were all rushing to and fro. The girls had all disappeared about two hours before the feast and had apparently kidnapped the lower year girls to help them prepare. Both the ball and the house party's had been huge success.

Harry and the Weasleys were all at the main castle doors wishing their friends goodbye.

"Have fun on your skiing trip Hermione and try to come back in one piece. Madame Pomfrey isn't there to fix you up if you get hurt you know."

"Come on now Harry. It can't be that dangerous I mean. They slide down a hill with pieces of wood strapped to their feet."

"I'll have you know Ronald that there is a version of competitive skiing called 'Speed Skiing' where skiers attain speeds of well over three-hundred miles an hour. Now just imagine hitting a bump going that speed or landing from a jump incorrectly. Of course, that's not what I'm going to be doing but still on a leisurely descent you can still achieve a decent speed depending on snow conditions, equipment and your own willingness."

Ron looked flabbergasted.

"Three-hundred miles an hour? That's faster than the top speed of my broom! Heck, it's faster than the top speed of my broom when it was new!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at her friends comment.

"Now you both promise me you'll stay out of trouble and get your assignments done right?"

"Yes 'mione." The two answered in unison.

Finally, it was Christmas morning.

"Merry Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his bathrobe.

"You, too," said Harry. "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"

"What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Harry's.

Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Harry, from Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it -- it sounded a bit like an owl.

A second, very small parcel contained a note.

We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.

"That's friendly," said Harry.

Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.

"Weird!" he said, "What a shape! This is money?"

"You can keep it," said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was. "Hagrid and my aunt and uncle -- so who sent these?"

"I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mom. I told her you didn't expect any presents and -- oh, no," he groaned, "she's made you a Weasley sweater."

Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.

"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's always maroon."

Harry was having trouble seeing a bit. These were his first Christmas presents ever and they were all, to date, hand made.

"That's really nice of her," said Harry, whipping the tears from his eyes.

Ron was pointedly looking elsewhere.

His next present also contained candy -- a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione.

The next package came as an even greater surprise. It was from Ginny. Admittedly he had also sent her a present but he hadn't expected one from her. Actually, he hadn't expected any presents at all.

Unwrapping the present, he found a small animated drawing in a simple wooden frame. Harry laughed out loud and passed the gift on to Ron.

The picture depicted Harry sitting boldly on a unicorn as it marched through the forest. It was a scene out of a fairy tale where the prince rode back to his castle on his noble steed.

"If only she knew exactly how that whole situation went in reality."

Both Silias and Ron replied the same thing to this comment. "She might have drawn you falling over."

Harry broke out laughing at this.

This only left one parcel. Harry picked it up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it.

Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped.

"I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans he'd gotten from Hermione. "If that's what I think it is -- they're really rare, and really valuable."

"What is it?"

Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.

"It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is -- try it on."

Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell.

"It is! Look down!"

Harry looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.

"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"

Harry pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words:

_Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was_

_returned to you. Use it well._

_A Very Merry Christmas to you._

There was no signature. Harry stared at the note. He knew who it came from. His mother had told him where the cloak was. Ron was admiring the cloak.

"I'd give anything for one of these," he said. "Anything. What's the matter?"

"Nothing," said Harry. He felt very strange. This had belonged to his father at one time.

Before he could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Hey, look -- Harry's got a Weasley sweater, too!"

Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.

"Harry's is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."

"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."

"I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head.

"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid -- we know we're called Gred and Forge."

At that moment the portrait hole opened and the headmaster and professor McGonagall entered Gryffindor Tower. Both idly twirling their wands.

"Merry Christmas one and all. I see you have all received many gifts. Good, good."

The headmaster looked calm and relaxed, not that that meant anything really, but McGonagall appeared stressed and seemed to be searching for something.

A soft squeak was heard from Ron's vicinity and instantly the transfiguration professor turned into a tabby cat and the headmaster shot a spell in the direction of the noise.

"What's all this noise?"

Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm.

The students jumped out of the way and Scabbers started scurrying across the floor.

Minerva hissed at him blocking his way towards the portrait hole.

"Now Peter, you have nowhere to go. Simply give yourself up."

The students looked up from their hiding spot. Had the professors gone mad?

The rat stopped where it was and started shaking, ever so slowly it changed from a small rat to a man with thinning hair. He stared at the the students with watery blue eyes filled with terror.

Harry was the first to react. "Wormtail?"

Here was his parents secret keeper. Here was the man who his parents had trusted with their lives and his own life. If he was here alive and hiding, it could only mean one thing.

"YOU TRAITOR!"

Harry's wand was in his hand in a flash and before he could even think of what he was doing a bludgeoning spell had left his lips.

Thankfully, the headmaster was quicker and intercepted the spell.

"Harry, please calm down."

"Calm down? He was my parents secret keeper! If he's still alive it means he betrayed them."

"Mr. Potter, Sirius Black was your parents secret keeper. Or at least, that is what we were lead to believe." The headmaster did not appear to be so sure of this information anymore.

"No! In the letter my parents left me, they mention he was the secret keeper. He betrayed them, it's because of him I had to live with the Dursleys, it's because of him my parents are dead!"

"Albus, Is this true?" The Transfiguration teacher had transformed back and was not holding her hand to her heart.

"Harry my dear boy! Look at you, you've grown up to look so much like James." the simpering man was on his hands and knees approaching Harry.

"Stay back traitor! The closer you get the less likely the headmaster is of being able to intercept my spells." his voice was hard and cold. Very much out of character for an eleven year old boy.

"But you heard them Harry, Sirius was your parents secret keeper, not me, I'm innocent."

"If your so innocent, why have you been hiding as a rat for the past decade? Why have you been pretending to be a pet for the Weasleys?" the Weasleys and professors looked on to Harry with some awe. A strange wind had started blowing around Harry and his eyes seemed to be filled with power.

"I've been hiding. I didn't want Sirius to find me, I didn't want the death eaters to find me. I've been protecting you all along Harry. Remember those bullies on the train?"

'Master Potter, you may wish to take a few calming breaths before you do something you regret. This traitor will be dealt with but in the state you are in right now you may do some serious accidental magic.' Silias sounded very worried.

Harry closed his eyes for a second and took a few calming breaths.

"Very good Mr. Potter. I am glad to see you have calmed down. Minerva, if you would go get the Aurors. _Incarcerous! Stupefy!_" Wormtail found himself bound in thin ropes that had spread from the headmasters wand, securing him in place, and unconscious. "If you would all take a seat, I can explain what I believe has happened. You do not mind if I explain to the Weasleys Harry? Seeing that they have witnessed this event."

Harry, not trusting himself to speak, simply gave the headmaster a nod.

"For this story to make sense, we have to go back to just before the end of the war. Voldermort was at the height of his power. Wizards and witches were disappearing every day and there seemed to be no end in sight. Harry's parents worked with an underground group to bring down Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Unfortunately they were too successful and had managed to thwart his plans on three occasions. Voldemort could not allow this to continue and so bent his will upon the Potters. They went into hiding in Godric's Hollow for the safety of their son."

The headmaster waved his wand and a tea set appeared on a nice oak table. He served himself some tea and indicated to the others present that they should serve themselves. Ron made Harry a cup seeing that his friend was in not fit state to do one for himself.

Clearing his throat the headmaster continued.

"I had offered to be the Potters secret keeper but they chose another instead, one they had undying faith in, one Sirius Black. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had been best of friends since their fist day here at Hogwarts and had formed a group of trouble makers the likes that Hogwarts had not seen in centuries: The Marauders. So strong was their friendship that none of them could believe that one of their own would betray them. The Potters went into hiding and a mere week later, on all hallows eve, they were murdered by Voldermort himself. Voldermort, as we all know, did not leave this encounter unscathed. I personally believe he roams the lands now, less than a man, less than a ghost."

The headmaster stopped here for a second to take a sip of his tea. Apparently preparing his story in his head.

"The next day, there was a confrontation between Sirius and Peter in London. It appeared that Peter had confronted Sirius and then had been blasted, along with most of the street, away by Sirius. Sirius was taken away by the Aurors without resistance. He had apparently lost his mind and kept repeating 'I killed them, I killed them.'. He was sent to Azkaban without a trial were he still resides to this day."

"WHAT! My godfather has spent the last decade in prison for a crime he didn't commit because the Ministry didn't want to take the time to give him his basic human rights!'" Harry was livid. In his mind he was already composing his letter to Griffhack and planning his siege on Azkaban.

"Please Mr. Potter let me finish." Harry sat down, he didn't remember standing but by this time he was no longer exactly rational. "Peter had us all fooled apparently. You may notice that he has only nine fingers? The following is what I believe has happened. We will only know the truth of it after the aurors interview Mr. Pettigrew. I believe that Sirius decided to act as a decoy for the Potters. He was too obvious a choice for the secret keep and so offered to pretend to be the keeper and offered to switch with Peter. No one would ever have suspected that the Potters would choose Peter as their secret keeper. Peter was a bright enough student at school but he was never of the same caliber as the other Marauders. Peter then betrayed the secret to Voldermort but when his master was destroyed he had nowhere to go, the death eaters would kill him for causing the downfall of their new world order and the light would know him for the traitor he was so he faked his own death , leaving only a finger after his confrontation with Sirius, and hid with a wizarding family so as to keep tabs on the wizarding world."

The headmaster sat there, finished with his story, waiting for the inevitable questions. Percy was the first to react. Scabbers had been his pet for years and the look he gave the man as he spoke of him showed that he wished nothing more than to make him pay.

"Professor? How did you even know that HE" and he spat the word as if it were something poisonous "was here?"

"Your brothers came into possession of a most wondrous map made by the Marauders. The Marauders Map shows almost all of the school and where everyone in the school is. Mr. Potter lent me the map so that we could secure the school from professor Quirell and while searching for our wayward defense professor, I noticed the name of Peter Pettigrew along with that of Ronald Weasley. After some testing we discovered that Peter was Scabbers. We only confirmed our suspicions a few days ago and decided to wait for the school to empty before making our attempt at capture.

"Now what?" Harry, who had remained silent for most of this, now spoke up. His voice was measured and controlled but hinted at a barely suppressed rage.

"Now we wait for the aurors, get Mr. Black moved to a security cell at the Ministry instead of Azkaban, and await a trial."

The Portrait hole opened admitting three Aurors, the head of magical law enforcement and the Gryffindor head of house.

"Ah! Mr. Shaklebot, Mr. Whittlebee, Mr. Pranter and Madame Bones. How good of you all to come on such short notice and on Christmas day no less."

"My god! It is Peter Pettigrew." said Madame Bones. "Albus how can this be?"

"What say we go to my office and discuss this while the Aurors interview the children?"

"Of course, of course. Mr. Potter, pleasure to meet you. I wish it was under better circumstances."

Harry simply nodded to the head of Magical Law Enforcement.

Mr. Whittlebee and Pranter took Peter away from the Gryffindor common room while Kingsley Shaklebolt interviewed the children.

The whole investigation was done rather quickly since the children had very little else to add to the story. As soon as the aurors were gone, Harry rushed to his desk to write a letter to Griffhack.

_December 25, 1991_

_Griffhack  
Gringots Bank – Diagon Alley  
_

_Griffhack,_

_I urgently need your help. I have just found out that my godfather, Sirius Black, has been in Azkaban for the past ten years for a crime he did not commit. I know this because the aurors have just taken away Peter Pettigrew. I need the best solicitors I can afford to work on this case, I don't care what it costs._

_I ask you for help now because I don't know who else to turn to. Hopefully, this is the type of thing Gringots does. If not, I would appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction._

_  
Harry James Potter_

_PS.: I hope you enjoyed the wine I sent you for Christmas._

His letter finished, Harry called Hedwig to him from her perch next to his bed.

"I know it's Christmas girl but I really need this delivered straight away. It's important."

The snowy owl gave his nose a peck and flew off into the bright Christmas morning.

Harry leaned back on his desk chair, the weight of the events of the morning finally hitting him. He really didn't know how to feel. On the one hand, he just found out his godfather was still alive, on the other he had spent the last ten years in the worst prison in the world for a crime he hadn't committed. This was the man his parents had wanted him to be with if they could not take care of him themselves but after ten years in prison would he want anything to do with him.

"Harry? You o.k. mate?"

Harry turned around to see Ron and his brother looking at him worriedly.

"I ... I'm fine. This was just a bit much today."

"I know what you mean. He was my pet for the past couple of months, he slept in my bed!" Ron gave a shudder of disgust.

"You think that's bad? He was my pet for the past ten years!" Percy looked livid.

"Well, we don't feel so bad anymore for all the times we used him in our experiments. Fred, remember that time we tested that tongue growing potion on him?"

"Not as good as the time we glued him to the ceiling to test that super sludge."

Everyone gave a small laugh at that.

"I actually tried that spell to make him change colors you guys gave me." Ron added.

They stayed in silence for a few minutes until Ron's stomach gave a mighty gurgle.

"How's about we head down for lunch and try to enjoy the rest of the day. Nothing else we can do about this right now."

"Right you are Ronikins, right you are. Come on you lot off to the great hall with us. Oh and Percy, your sitting with us and put on your sweater." commanded one of the twins.

The other twin grabbed the sweater from Percy and examined it.

"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one."

"I -- don't -- want" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew. They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater.

Dinner was surreal. The teachers were all acting very much out of character well except for the headmaster, he always acted a little crazy. Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet he had pulled from a magical party favor.

The twins started laughing when they noticed a slightly inebriated Hagrid give Professor McGonagall a kiss on the cheek but that quickly stopped when she giggled. Many of the students pinched themselves to make sure they were not dreaming.

Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. He suspected he wouldn't have lost so badly if he hadn't been so concerned about his godfather ... of course Percy trying to help him with his game probably had something to do with his defeat as well.

Eventually, they all retired to bed, tired from bellies filled to burst, the excitement of the morning and the physical exertion of the afternoon.

Harry had a strange dream that night. He was standing next to tall haggard man in a forest clearing. The man looked tired, malnourished and was dressed in rags. They stood there in silence staring at the night sky. The strange man put his arm around Harry's shoulder and pulled him towards him in a one armed hug.

Harry awoke from the dream feeling happy and rested.

Harry got dressed and headed down towards the common room where he found the Gryffindor head of house.

"Ah Mr. Potter, just the young man I needed to see. Your presence is requested in the headmasters office. If you could head there straight away, the password is Reese's Peanut Butter Cup."

Harry thanked his head of house and made his way to the headmasters office wondering what this was about. It probably had something to do with Peter Pettigrew's capture.

Entering the headmasters office Harry was surprised to see that he was not the only person to meet with the headmaster that morning.

"Ah! Mr. Potter! Glad you could make it so quickly. I believed you called for these fine gentlemen?"

Sitting around a round table was Griffhack and two other men Harry had never met before.

"**Goblin Griffhack? I hope your endeavors have been profitable?"**

The two men sitting at the table with Griffhack were not the only ones surprised at Harry's verbal aptitude in Gobbledygook.

'When the heck did I learn this?' he asked himself.

"**Yes Mr. Potter they have and so have yours."** Replied Griffhack.

"**Mr. Potter pleasant venerable account."**

Harry looked at the man sitting to the far left of Griffhack. He was well dressed in formal work robes, wore elegant wire rimmed glasses and had a very close cropped haircut. Under his robes could be seen a blue silk shirt and tie.

The man blushed a little seeing the look of confusion on Harry's face.

"I'm sorry, my Gobbledygook is rather primitive. I specialize in criminal cases not financial cases or auditing. My name is Wilbur Bright and this is my associate and research assistant Edmond Fortier."

Harry was still confused. Surely they hadn't dropped everything they were doing, during the Christmas holidays, to answer his plea for help.

"Please have a seat Mr. Potter. Would you rather have this discussion in private or can the Headmaster attend?" asked Griffhack respectfully.

"Uhm. The headmaster can stay of course. I don't think I have anything to hide from him."

"Thank you dear boy." with that the headmaster conjured himself a chair at the table and sat down. The table was covered with breakfast foods and drinks and the headmaster helped himself to a bit of toast.

"Now Mr. Potter we are here to deal with the issue of your Godfather." started Wilbur Bright.

"You interrupted your holidays for me?" asked a bewildered Harry.

"Of course Mr. Potter. This case is of the utmost importance. A man has spent ten years in Azkabhan for a crime he never committed and did not even receive a trial. This situation is in complete opposition to Rule of Law.

'_Habeas corpus ad subjiciendum_, a Latin term meaning "you must have the body to be subjected (to examination)". A person who is arrested has the right to be told what crimes he or she is accused of, and to request that his or her custody be reviewed by judicial authority. Persons unlawfully imprisoned have to be freed. The rights of individuals are determined by legal rules and not the arbitrary behaviour of authorities. There can be no punishment unless a court decides there has been a breach of law. Everyone, regardless of your position in society, is subject to the law.' interjected Silias.

"Yeah, this reeks of the Micheal Howard case." said Edmond fortier.

Seeing the confused look on the face of his clients Mr. Bright explained.

"Michael Howard as Home Secretary for the muggle government, sent the Jamie Bulgar killers to prison for an unspecified term. The Courts deemed this illegal as they decided that only a person working within the judiciary had the right to come to this decision and that a specified term had to be given as opposed to a sentence 'at Her Majesty's Pleasure'. It is of the utmost importance that we remedy this situation. Add to this that the Blacks have major accounts at Gringots currently standing in the many millions of Galleons, accounts that the ministry has been attempting to seize for the past decade, and you have a very important case affecting a wide range of plaintiffs."

"Ok. What can I do?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Nothing much Mr. Potter. We are here to tell you that we accept the case, what our conditions are and inform you of our plan of attack. Seeing as you are a bit young, we will need the signature of a legal guardian for the contracts and the likes."

"I believe, Mr. Bright, that I may be of assistance in this situation. I am a special guardian to Mr. Potter due to his unique status in our society." said the headmaster.

"Good, good. Now our plans are as follows. Have Mr. Black moved immediately out of Azkaban. We would like him to be released on his own cognizance but we doubt that will happen due to the nature of his supposed crimes and the fact that a decade in Azkaban will have left him a little unstable. We are prepared to accept, in order of preference: release with bail under guardianship of another, house arrest with Auror guards in a secure location and finally a holding cell at the ministry. If none of these are accepted we may need to wage a PR war against the ministry and for that we will need your help but I doubt it will go that far. With the evidence the ministry has collected from Pettigrew it should be an open and shut case and resolved by the tenth of January. We also plan on obtaining a large amount of Galleons for your Godfather in compensation of years of unfair imprisonment and mental anguish. Now as to our conditions. We will take on this case and if successful, we will take a percentage of the punitive reward. If we are not, then an hourly fee will be billed to you."

Harry looked to the headmaster who was reading the actual details.

"Everything seems in order and you can afford these fees without harming your future."

"Ok then, let's go ahead then."

The headmaster signed the documents and passed them on to the solicitors.

"Well, we had best be going if we want this settled in a timely fashion. We will let you know how things progress as they go along. It was an honor to meet you Mr. Potter, Professor."

With that they took a handful of powder from a jar on the mantle, threw it into the fire and stepped through.

Harry looked around the office. The paintings were all whispering to each other looking rather excited.

"Well, I guess I should let you get to your work professor. Sorry for the trouble."

"No need to rush Mr. Potter, no need to rush. Have some breakfast and maybe we can talk a while."

Harry sat back down and Fawkes left it's perch to join them at the table.

"Fawkes particularly enjoys green grapes."

Harry took one and placed it in his hand, the phoenix plucked it carefully from his hands and gulped it greedily.

"Now Mr. Potter. I am not angry with you but in the future, it would be best if you let me know before you call in your solicitors. I had my own plans for getting Mr. Black out of prison. It is of course your prerogative to call upon your solicitors but it is counter productive for us to work separately to the same end. Also, I would like to know when my office will be invaded." he finished with a light chuckle.

Harry looked guilty up at the headmaster.

The headmaster's eyes were glinting madly in humor and behind his bushy beard, a smile could be seen.

"As I said, no harm done. Now, I asked you some time ago what your wishes were as to your living arrangements. I was hoping you might have had some time to think on it."

Harry had had some time to think on it but with the revelation that he had a godfather his plans had changed drastically.

"Well I had thought about it but now there's Sirius ... I was kind of hoping to meet him and that maybe he would want to take me in."

The last part was said as barely a whisper.

"Unfortunately Harry, Sirius Black has been in Azkaban for over a decade. Once he is freed, and there is no doubt in my mind that he will be soon, he will have a long road ahead before he is well enough to take care of even himself much less a young child ... I'm sorry I mean a young man."

'And that's if he even wants anything to do with me.' Harry thought to himself.

"I understand. Then I guess I'll go back to my relatives for the summer." Harry answered despondently.

"Have some of the Marmalade, it's from my private stores. My brother Aberthford sends me a few jars every year. Well, there is no reason for you to spend the whole summer there of course. You only need spend a few weeks, two at the most, for the magic to recharge. Then you may spend your time elsewhere."

"But where would I go? It would be great to spend time here over the summer but that would be a lot of work for you and the teachers and I don't want to make work."

"I do admit it would be difficult for me to convince the board of governors to allow you to stay here over the summer but I have received multiple requests from Mrs. Weasley, Ronald's mother, to have you spend the summer with them."

This was too good to be true. He loved the Twins, Ginny was a great pen pal, Ron was his best friend and he even got on well with Percy.

"I would need some advanced warning to insure that their home has extra protections but from what I understand Ronald and young Ginerva ..."

"Ginerva?" asked Harry incredulously.

"Yes, Ronald's younger sister. I was led to believe you had been corresponding with her over the past few months?"

'Ginerva is a Gaelic female name meaning "white as foam."' cut in Silias.

"Yeah, I just always called her Ginny. I actually thought that was her name. White as foam? I don't get it."

Harry stopped talking, he had noticed that the headmasters, all of them, were looking at him strangely. He looked up at the headmaster and found himself staring into his twinkling blue eyes.

'How does he do that?' he asked himself.

Suddenly he felt a light touch upon his mind, feather light and gentle like a cool summer breeze. Instinctively he threw up his mental defenses and felt the presence recede.

'Last time he had a reason but what was this about now!' asked a fuming Silias.

"As I was saying, Ronald and Ginerva have been pestering their parents to have you come and stay with them this summer and their parents have agreed." continued the headmaster as if nothing had happened.

"That would be wicked."

"So I gather then that we are in agreement? Two weeks at your relatives and then the rest of the summer at the Weasleys?"

"Actually, can we say three weeks then at the Weasleys? I have a few things I would like to get done before I go there."

"Of course Mr. Potter, of course. It will also give me and a few of my associates time to work on the protections of the Burrow."

They continued talking about general things from then on while enjoying breakfast. Fawkes gorged himself of green grapes.

The headmaster revealed he was still looking for a new defense against the dark arts professor and was thinking of simply finding a substitute teacher to fill the basic role for the interim. Harry commented on the fact that even a seventh year could teach defense better than the Quirell and this sparked the idea of a self study session supervised by an older student, at least for the younger years, in the interim.

On his way back to the Common Room Silias made his presence known.

'Ok so I am intrigued, what are these things you need done during the holidays that require you to be at the Dursleys?'

'I never said I had to be at the Dursleys to do these things. And aren't you in my mind, don't you already know?' replied Harry as he grasped the amulet.

'No, I can only hear your "Inner Voice" when you focus on me. So I am not privy to your hopes and dreams, to your hidden aspirations ... I need to be told these things.'

'Oh! Well I'd like to go on vacation somewhere for a week. Somewhere away from England, just on my own.' replied Harry hesitantly.

'Ok.'

'What do you mean ok? Aren't you gonna scold me?'

'I told you, I'm not your parent. I'm here to assist you with your endeavors ... no matter how crazy they are. So, where are WE going this summer for a full week?'

'Don't worry, I wasn't going to leave you behind. I don't know, I'd like to go somewhere warm and maybe see the ocean. I've never seen the ocean or even a beach other than on the telly.'

'Ok so seeing that seventy percent of the world is covered with water that does not narrow things down.'

'Ok, well somewhere with an ancient magical culture then. Somewhere were I can learn something interesting while having fun.'

'Well, that helps a little. Greece, Japan, South America, Egypt all fit your criteria. Keep walking and I'll tell you a bit about the different places and you can make your decision.'

On the way back to the common room Silias gave a brief overview of the various countries and what would be interesting to visit.

The day had been good. His godfather was one step closer to freedom; he had had the best Christmas in his entire, if somewhat short, life; he was to stay with the Weasleys over the summer. Everything was going well yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. Not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the invisibility cloak!

Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it.

His father's... this had been his father's. He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said.

He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.

Use it well.

Suddenly, Harry felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this cloak. Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.

Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? Something held him back -- his father's cloak -- he felt that this time -- the first time – he wanted to use it alone.

He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.

"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Harry said nothing. He walked quickly down the corridor.

Where should he go?

With no real purpose in mind, Harry headed towards the kitchen. Not that he was hungry but just because he could do it. Using the cloak made evading Mr. Filch and Snape an easy task. All one had to do was avoid making any sound, something he was used to doing at the Dursleys, and avoid being run over.

Once in the kitchen, the house elves still on duty were more than happy to see him and take some time to talk with him over a warm cup of cocoa. Harry, Hermione and Ron were well liked by the elves because, contrarily to other students, they did not always come down for food but they sometimes came down simply to chat with the elves.

Markin happened to be one of the elves still on service and was more than happy to see Harry.

"Harry Potter sir! Markin is being glad to see young master."

"Hello Markin, glad to see you as well. How have things been going here?"

"Well young master, we elves be having important jobs. We is to be keeping an eye out for the evil dark wizard Quirell. Actually young master should not be wandering the halls at night, it not being safe."

"I'm safer than most Markin, I have an invisibility cloak, but your probably right. I should probably stay in the tower at night."

They sat for a time chatting about the happenings of the castle when Harry thought of something interesting.

"Markin, I saw you apparate and disaparate around the castle the other day. How do you do that and can a wizard learn how as well?"

The poor house elf looked rather contrite.

"Markin is being sorry but she is not knowing the answer to young masters questions. No wizard has ever asked a house elf to teach them magic. It may be possible for a witch or wizard to learn house elf magic but I is not knowing for sure."

Harry became rather excited at this prospect.

"Do you think you could teach me?"

"Markin does not think young master is ready for such lessons. Young masters magic needs to grow before we is to try such a thing. Maybe another year or two."

'I think the elf has the right idea. I won't be teaching you apparition until at least your third year and even that might be too early. Like for animagus transformations, you don't currently have enough magic at your disposal. It was a good question and I am very intrigued to find out the answer.' interjected Silias.

Harry finished his hot chocolate, thanked the house elves and left back for the Gryffindor Tower. He had yet another plan to put in place, try to learn magic from the house elves. Their magic was obviously wandless and powerful but they were bound to their home.

Markin had convinced Harry not to go prowling the halls of Hogwarts again, and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of his trunk.

Harry had received two letters to date from his solicitors by the intermediary of the headmaster.

Sirius was out of Azkaban and in a secret location under Auror guards. The poor man was not in the best of shapes either mentally or physically but he had apparently weathered the wizarding prison better than others in the same position.

The trial was to be done on the twelfth of January and Harry would not need to be present, the case was pretty much an open and shut with Peter Pettigrew in prison.

Hermione came back the day before the start of term and was very excited. She thanked both Ron and Harry for their gifts and passed on seasons greetings from her parents along with a small holiday card from both.

Harry brought her up to date on all the happenings over the holidays. The poor witch was, for once, at a lack of words. She was truly impressed with the invisibility cloak and upon hearing that Peter Pettigrew was an animagus, had made it her long-term mission to discover everything she could about the transformation and to be ready to attempt it as soon as possible.

A few days after start of term, Harry received a letter from Ginny. Again using the Weasleys decrepit owl Erol. The poor thing had landed well enough but once it's message delivered it had simply keeled over into a plate or rashers. Harry had taken the poor owl to professor Kettleburn to see if he could do anything for the poor creature.

_Dear Harry,_

_Don't worry about getting back to me quickly, I understand you're busy: Quidditch, detentions, helping teach classes, chasing dark wizards, homework, classes, fighting trolls ... I'm amazed you have any spare time at all._

_Fred and George both wrote to me about the class you taught and they said it was great so I'm sure you did just fine._

_Now about Fawkes, you really had no control over him so don't worry about it. I was just teasing in my note. I am surprised he offered to deliver the message for you but I am not surprised he demanded to be pet. I've seen him before. When the headmaster has an important message for my dad he usually sends it with Fawkes._

_My mom hasn't mentioned anything about Occlumency or Legilimency to me so I guess she is ok with me learning it. I've started on the exercises and even if I don't get better at it than I am now, I still think it's worth it. I can focus better on things and I remembered things better._

_I'm sorry to hear that Quirell got away but I'm sure they will catch him. My brothers had a map of Hogwarts that could tell them where everyone is at all times and they gave it to the teachers! Are you sure they haven't been replaced by Dopplegangers or Metamorphs? Still what are the odds that they would ask you for help about something made by your dad?_

_Now, about your summer plans: I hope you don't have any because Ron and I have been bugging mom for the past couple of months to get you to come here. She just told us you would be coming after three weeks at your relatives! Bring some swim trunks, we have a nice pond in the back._

_Ok now on to the Christmas news. Thank you for the gift! I love these fountain pens you sent me, they are way more convenient than quills. My dad wants some now, he's just crazy about muggle stuff. If you want to get on his good side get him some strange muggle junk like plugs or batteries, he collects them. My mom thinks he's crazy._

_I may have told you that we went to see my brother at the dragon reserves for Christmas. Well it was great. I got to see tons of dragons and spend time with my favorite brother._

_I got a ton of nice gifts this year. Speaking of gifts, I hope you liked the Weasley sweater. I helped mom make it ... ok so I chose the colours, that's still helping. FINE! ... I can't knit to save my life._

_I do hope you liked the picture, it's one of the things I'm really good at._

_Well, that's pretty much all I had to say,_

_Ginny Weasley_

Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Wood's side. If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years ... of course it did help that he didn't really have to study and homework was dead easy.

The trio were sitting in the common room doing homework when Neville toppled in. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.

Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the countercurse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling. "What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron.

"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"

Neville shook his head.

"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out.

Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. He gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.

"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."

Neville calmed down after eating the frog.

"Come upstairs with me Neville." and with that he headed up to the boys dormitory with Neville reluctantly in tow.

Once within the first year dormitory, Harry looked inside each bed to insure they were alone.

"Now Neville, you have to learn how to defend yourself. I'm going to teach you a spell. It's a shielding spell that can block most minor curses. The incantation is _Redigo Contego. _It's nothing fancy but it will stop most of the curses we 'iklle firsties' know, including the leg locker."

"Why are you teaching me this. I'm not going to be able to do this, I'm almost a squib."

"No your not!" Harry replied with fervor. "You are not almost a squib. Didn't you tell us that your wand is your fathers wand?"

"Well, yeah. What does this have to do with anything?"

"Mr. Ollivander told me ... 'You will never get as good a result with the wand of another as with a wand that chooses you.' Your father's wand didn't choose you Neville, it's not suited to you but you still do well enough in class. Imagine what you could do with a proper wand."

Neville looked unsure.

"Look at least with this spell you'll be able to have a fighting chance. Now I'm going to cast a tickling charm on you and you're going to block it, unless you want to be like Crab ... or was that Goyle ... and pee your pants." Harry said with a smirk.

Twenty minutes, many a tickling charm and a few pair of soiled pants later, an exhausted Neville managed to block Harry's tickling charm.

"You see? You CAN do this." Neville gave Harry a tired grin. "Now as soon as you can block three in a row we can stop."

Neville's grin faded from his face and the poor boy groaned resignedly and they went back at it.

Another fifteen minutes later and Neville finally managed to block three tickling charms in a row.

The sound of clapping came from the dorm door. Many first, second and a few third year Gryffindors were standing there giving Neville a standing ovation. There was no ridicule there, only support.

"Now Neville you'll need to practice blocking and then throwing your own spells."

"You'd better listen to Professor Potter there Neville or he'll dock you points" cried out Lee Jordan.

The few third years present laughed.

"We'll help him with that." cried out one of the twins.

"Can't let a stinking Slytherin beat up on one of our own."

"Right you are brother o' mine. Also it allows us to try some of our more imaginative pranks on poor Neville ... and see if they can be blocked by that shield."

A few other people offered to help Neville practice his combat spells. Neville seemed a little ashamed but relieved as well.

The next day, Harry, Ron and Hermione were in defense against the dark arts class. A student from Hufflepuff was overseeing the class as the headmaster had yet to find a replacement. He had yet, also to return Harry's map but Harry was not particularly bothered with this since it was being used to capture a wizard that apparently wanted him dead.

The trio, as previously mentioned, were in defense class and Harry and Hermione were helping Ron master the _Redigo Contego _shield spell when all of a sudden Harry felt a piercing pain where his scar was located.

"Are you alright mate?"

"Yeah, it's just my scar hurting."

"Maybe you should go to the hospital wing Harry. Madame Pomfrey will certainly have something for you."

"No that's alright Hermione, I don't think it's such a big deal. I'll just sit down for a bit, you continue helping Ron with his shield spell."

'Not such a big deal?' asked an enraged Silisa. 'Just someone trying to get into your head is all!'

Harry took hold of the amulet and closed his eyes.

'What do you mean Silias. There's no one here to practice Legilimency on me.' at this thought another sharp pain throbbed across Harry's forehead. 'And my eyes are closed.'

'Well, I'm in here and trust me, someone else is trying to get in. Now start with your exercises, we can figure out who is trying to attack your mind after we fight off the attack.'

Harry took a deep breath and started clearing his mind, creating a void around his thoughts. Slowly the pain receded. Harry could feel a presence at the edge of the void around his consciousness, it was almost as if he was standing there within himself, a blanket of nothingness the only thing keeping the dark presence at bay. Suddenly Harry could feel something happening at the edge of the nothingness, some sort of conflict. Finally the presence dissipated and Harry felt the calm of his mind take over.

"Mate! You know, even if this is a self study period, they do expect us to study and not sleep. We can only get away with that in history class." Ron was shaking harry out of his trance with a smirk on his face. Hermione on the other hand looked rather concerned.

"Are you sure you are alright Harry? It's not like you to fall asleep in class."

Harry nodded his head as he tried to piece together what had just happened . Hermione looked relieved.

"Well, other than in history class like Ron said." she continued with a small laugh.

Back in the common room Harry took hold of Silias.

'So, what was that all about?' he asked.

'Well, as I said, someone was trying to get into your mind.' replied Silias.

'I'd figured that much out. I managed to clear my mind but I still felt something ... something at the edge of my defenses trying to get in then I felt something like a fight.'

'Yes, that was me. I have no power to affect the outside world but in here I do have some power. I can teach you things but I can also act as a guardian for your thoughts. It does put me at risk but it is one of the functions I was created for. I'm hoping you will learn to defend yourself so that I can fulfill my primary purpose but when you are in danger I'll be there.'

'Thanks Silias. I feel better knowing that your there.'

'I am just fulfilling my purpose Master Potter. We all have a purpose in ... well for lack of a better word ... life. For some, like me, that purpose is clear, obvious and achievable. For you humans, it's not always so clear. Now if you truly wish to thank me, you will learn how to defend your mind and quickly, I would much rather continue to teach you magic than to be destroyed while defending your mind. I think in the long run it would be more profitable for you if I were to continue your instruction instead of "dying" a hero's death.'

'I'll do my best Silias.'

'I do not doubt it Master Potter. You have already achieved much. Many witches and wizards do not have the mastery of Occlumency that you currently hold but I believe that you need to go beyond what you currently posses, especially considering all the attacks on your mind you have suffered to date.'

'Ok, can you tell me anything about how I was being attacked?'

'Not really. All I know is that there was a hostile presence in your mind attempting to gain deeper access. I have no idea how this was possible. Your parents were brilliant but they were still young and my knowledge is based on their own so I am not the ultimate reservoir of knowledge.'

Over the following days, Harry's headaches or pain scars became a constant dull pain. This was causing him some problems both in class and in Quidditch practice as it disturbed his concentration greatly. Harry found himself relying more heavily on Occlumency to block out the pain, to try to find his center while still being conscious of his surroundings.

The day before the game against Hufflepuff was upon them and Harry was feeling nervous. Of course the rest of the team was not doing much better. The thought of overtaking Slytherin for the house cup was both thrilling and frightening. Slytherin had not lost the Quidditch Cup or the House Cup in the last seven years and most of the school was counting on Gryffindor to take the cup away from the house of snakes. It is quite understandable that the players in Gryffindor were feeling a bit of pressure.

The game against Hufflepuff house went very well and Gryffindor won by a large margin and were in the lead for the cup. The Gryffindor common room was in full party mode as the team returned from the showers. Strangely enough Neville was holding a damp cloth over his face but grinning broadly explaining something in great detail to a small crowd of students. Ron was there as well thumping Neville on the back as if congratulating him about something.

"What's going on?" asked Harry.

"What's going on? What's going on you asked? Nothing much really we're just congratulating Neville here for taking on not only Crabe but also Goyle while I took Malfoy down a peg." replied an enthusiastic Ron.

"What? What happened?" asked a now grinning Harry.

"Malfoy was saying the usual stuff about you and my family and muggleborns and I lost it. I jumped him and Neville here took on both Crabe and Goyle to keep them off my back." Ron gave Neville another clap on the back and grinned broadly at Harry.

"And you thought you weren't brave enough for Gryffindor?"said a now laughing Harry.

"Yes. Well while I am very happy that Neville has discovered that the sorting hat knew what it was doing when it put him here, he could get in trouble for fighting." Hermione looked happy but worried and kept shooting glances at the portrait hole.

"Nah. Malfoy wouldn't want anyone to know that Neville took on his two bodyguards on his own. He'd be the laughing stock of Slytherin ... no offense mate." Ron said, dismissing Hermione's concerns.

"No problem. I still don't believe I did that myself."replied a somewhat bruised and bemused Neville.

"Anyways, it's nothing too amazing. You, Harry and Hermione go toe-to-toe with them all the time and it's not like I faced a troll or anything like you guys." Neville seemed to lose some enthusiasm.

"Neville, we almost died when we faced the Troll and like you said, there are usually three of us to match up against Malfoy and his goons, you were outnumbered." said Harry in earnest.

Neville cheered up again at this.


	26. Chapter 25: The Trial and Tribulation

The Trial ... and tribulations.

The days wore on and the pain from Harry's scar was now an ever constant throbbing. Harry had taken to meditating every night before bed to push away the pain. More and more, he found himself within the white blanket of his mental defenses.

There, inside his own mind, Harry could ignore the pain entirely. He also found that, much like a pensive, he could review his own memories and thoughts in detail. The blank canvas of his protected mind provided the perfect place, free of distractions, to think and ponder and so his memories and thoughts came in clearer than normal.

In his mind, Harry thought a lot about Sirius Black. Dreams merging with reality as Harry pondered potential scenarios for his life. Would his godfather be freed? Would he take him away from the Dursleys? What did he look like? What did he like? What would their house look like. What would Christmas be like in their home?

Finally the day of Sirius's hearing was at hand. It being a Sunday, Harry had nothing to keep his mind off the trial. He had tried everything: wizards chess, homework, exploding snaps, occlumency ... nothing worked. Finally, Harry decided to head out for a bit of flying.

"Harry. Where you off to mate?"

"Just off for a bit of flying Ron."

"Are you alright Harry?"

"Yeah Hermione, I'm fine. I just need to clear my head."

"Well, I'm coming along, I can use an old school broom. It's not like they're much worse than mine. You coming Hermione?"

The trio left for the Quidditch pitch. On the way to the entrance hall, Harry collapsed. His head felt as if it was on fire. Quickly he formed his defenses and found himself in the white calm of his mind. Something was roaming his mind, just at the edge of his defenses. This was nothing new, it had been happening on and off over the past few days but what was different was the intensity of the darkness. It railed against the white walls of the barriers Harry had erected.

How long Harry was in his own mind, he could not tell but suddenly the attacks ceased. The presence had withdrawn completely from his mind.

'Silias?'

'Ah! Master Potter. I'm sorry I was not much help but the foreign mind was too much I had to withdraw and hope your defenses held.' replied the amulet.

'No problem. Is it gone now?'

'It does appear to have fled once again and quite suddenly.'

'How long have I been in here?"

'I know not. As I explained to you when you were in the hospital wing, I am only aware of what you are aware and since you are here within your own mind, so am I.'

Harry opened his eyes and found that he was no longer in the hallways in Hogwarts. He was surprised to not be greeted with the stark whiteness of the hospital wing. No, he was no longer in Hogwarts at all but in some sort of cemetery, tied to a statue along with Ron and Hermione. His two friends appeared to be the worse for wear as if they had been on the loosing side of a fight.

'This is not good master. This is not good at all.' Silias was worried, very worried.

"Ron? Hermione? Can you hear me?"

Hermione was the first to reply. "Harry. Thank God your ok."

"Yeah mate. You had us worried there."

"I think we can still worry. How's about you tell me what's been happening."

"Well, you cried out and sort of collapsed on the floor. Then the next thing we know is Quirell is there. We tried to fight him off but he got us by surprised. He stunned Hermione first then took me out. Next thing I know were all here."

"Harry. What is going on? Why are we here? Why did you collapse?" Hermione was starting to panic and it showed.

"Not important right now. Now we need to get out of here. Any idea where our wands are?"

"Yeah mate. There over there on that tomb." Ron indicated a direction with a nod of his head.

This did not help them in any way as the wands were located a good ten feet away. They were there, in plain sight yet still unaccessible.

'Accidental Magic.'

"What?" Harry whispered softly.

'You, like many other children, have done accidental magic before in situation of stress. Am I correct?'

"Yeah so?"

"Mate, who you talking to?" asked a concerned Ron.

"Myself. I'm trying to figure out how to get us out of here. Have you guys thought of anything?" lied Harry.

"Nope."

"I'm still working on it Harry. If only we were capable of wandless magic." added Hermione.

"What about accidental magic?" asked Harry hoping to prompt a response from either Hermione or Silias.

'Accidental magic is a form of wandless magic. If we could just get you in a state of panic ...'

"Well, of course that could work but the problem is that it's just that accidental Harry. How could we engender a bout of accidental magic?"

"I don't know ... I just don't know."

'I'm sorry master but there is no other choice. I hope you can forgive me for this.'

Suddenly images started pouring into Harry's mind. Images he had tried to suppress since he had joined the magical world. Images of the cupboard, his uncle livid at some strange occurrence throwing him into the cupboard so hard that Harry's arm had broken when he had landed, he had only been five years old at the time and had been locked in the cupboard for two whole days.

Harry's breathing started getting laboured as he fought off the panic that was rising in him.

Another series of images was dredged from the dark parts of his psyche like a bloated corpse. His 'Aunt Marge' was over for a visit and she had hit him with a backhand so hard he had been lifted off the ground, spun in the air and crumpled on the floor black spots blurring his vision. The woman, like all Dursleys, was huge. She may not have been in good physical condition but her girth gave her blow momentum.

Harry tried desperately to rally his defenses but it was too late. He was already far too panicked to be able to clear his mind. Somewhere to his right, he could hear worried voices whispering to him. Of course, he had no idea what they were saying.

Another memory came forward. His uncle had had a particularly bad day at work. Things just had seemed to be going wrong all day. He had, had a flat tire. Then he had got a speeding ticket. The microwave had caused his lunch to explode at work. An important client had withdrawn from a sale. Someone had bumped into his car and left a huge ding in the driver side door, making impossible to close. His uncle had needed someone to blame and of course that someone had been Harry. His uncle had used the belt that time.

"NO!"

The scream was primal. Filled with fear and anger. The statue Harry was tied to crumbled to dust under an unknown force as if a giant hand had crushed the stone. Harry found himself free of the bindings that had held him in place. And as suddenly as they had started the visions stopped.

Harry was on his knees on the cold hard earth gasping for breath, trying to calm himself. A strange wind was flowing around him still and power could be felt all around.

"How did you free yourself boy?"

Harry looked up and before him stood his captor: Quirell. There stood the man that was trying to bring back the demon that had killed his parents and forced him into the living hell that had been his life for the past ten years. There was a target for his rage.

Quirell must have seen some of this in Harry's eyes because at that moment he started to back away.

"What ... www .. what is this. How is this ... pp p possible?"

Harry didn't even bother answering and leapt at the man with inhuman speed. Quirell tumbled unto his back from the impact of Harry's jump. Harry found his hands at the man throat trying to choke the life out of him. He looked into the eyes of his would be murderer and suddenly found all the hate drained away from him. The pale brown eyes he was staring at were not filled with hate or malice but hope.

'What could you hope for Quirell.' Harry asked himself in that moment.

"Kill the boy Quirell kill him now and we can use the others for the ritual."

The voice had been muffled and had seemed to come from the ex-professor.

"I'm ssss ..sss ... sorry my boy, I'm ssss ... so sorry. I wasn't strong enough. Finish it. Finish me now. Finish us now while you can."

And in that moment, Harry understood what the professor was hoping for, he was hoping for release. The last bit of rage had left him only to be replaced with pity. This man was broken, he was doing these horrible things against his will.

'Possession.' came Silisa's voice. Harry had almost forgotten he was there.

"It's alright professor. I think I understand now."

With these words Harry felt himself filled with a different power. A soft white glow emanated from his hands were he was still in contact with the professor.

A primal howl was heard coming from the now, unconscious ex-professor and a wraith like form burst from the Quirell's turban speeding away into the forest.

Quirell was unconscious but still breathing. Harry stood up shakily and gathered his friends wands and released them from their bindings.

"What the bloody hell was that?"

For once, Hermione did not berate Ron on his use of foul language but looked on, hoping for an answer.

"I don't know. The first bit was accidental magic but that last bit at the end I have no idea."

"Right, well we should tie up Quirell and try to find out where we are." Hermione had recovered and was now ready to take charge of the situation. "I think we can worry about the details later."

"No need to tie him up Hermione. He was being possessed, that's why he was doing the things he was doing. You saw the spirit leave right?"

"Right, right. Then we need to find a way to carry him out of here and we need to find out where we are."

"Actually, I think I need to sit down for a minute." with that Harry fell unto the ground heavily and leaned himself against a headstone.

They sat there in silence for a time. Harry was feeling somewhat better. Silias had been markedly quiet.

Harry closed his eyes and took hold of the pendant.

'Silias? Are you still here.'

'Yes Master.' came the hesitant response.

'How come you're so quiet?'

'I ... I'm sorry master. I'm so sorry.' came the repentant voice inside Harry's head.

'What for?' Harry was truly puzzled. Silias had been nothing but a good mentor to date.

'I drew forth those memories of your childhood. We needed you to enter a state in which you would trigger accidental magic. I am so sorry.'

'Oh.' Harry could think of nothing else to say after that. He really didn't know how to feel about the situation. Harry let go of the amulet and broke his trance.

"Ok well, Ron and I will go and check out the manor over there. Maybe we can figure out where we are." with that said Harry tried to stand but couldn't. He was apparently much weaker than he thought.

"It's alright mate. Hermione and me will check out the house. You just stay here for now and keep an eye on Quirell."

"Actually, we should just stay here and wait for the Aurors and Obliviators. After all, Harry did a lot of magic just now and since he is underage they will come to make sure everything is ok." Hermione replied with confidence.

"Actually Hermione, no one is going to be coming. The ministry only tracks magic used in the homes of muggleborn or muggle raised students and children. There are sensors placed around those homes to keep track of magic use. I think they also have some sensors in major areas like shopping malls and such."

"Oh!" was the stunned reply from Hermione.

"That would explain why we never get caught at the Burrow. The twins are always using magic at home without mom and dad knowing."

"Wait a minute! Only muggleborns are monitored! That's so prejudiced!" Hermione was red with indignation.

"We can talk about this later guys. We have more pressing matters to deal with I think." cut in Harry before Hermione could get started.

"Right you are mate. Come on 'mione. Let's check out the house."

"Don't call me 'mione Ronald."

With that they stood and headed towards the house with wands drawn but bickering all the way. Harry gave a small chuckle as he looked at them walk towards the dilapidated house.

Ron and Hermione returned approximately twenty minutes later. Hermione was carrying something bundled in a blanket in her arms and had a makeshift rucksack on her back. The bundle was moving.

"Well, Hermione and I found some things out. We're apparently in a place called 'Little Hangleton' and the house up there is called Riddle Manor and is about as Muggle as they can get."

The bundle in Hermione's hands gave a very baby like gurgle.

"Hermione, what's that in your arms?"

"A baby. We found a baby and lots of dark arts things in the dinning room. I think he was going to use the baby as a sacrifice for something, something ... dark." with that said, Hermione started making strange cooing sounds at the little bundle. The baby within started laughing.

"Ok, well how are we getting home now Harry?"

"I guess we could try calling the Knight Bus."

Ron found a large branch for Harry to use as a walking stick and then threw Quirell over his shoulders.

"Blimey, he weighs a ton and that turban of his smells like garlic."

"Don't carry him like that Ron, use the fireman carrying technique." chastised Hermione. She then passed the baby on to Harry who sat down quickly and awkwardly held the little bundle in his arms as if it was make of crystal.

Harry tuned Ron and Hermione out as Hermione explained the proper way to lift an inert body off the ground without running the risk of breaking ones back.

"_Hermione! I'm eleven bloody years old, not twenty-three! How do you expect me to lift a grown man on my shoulders?"_

Harry stared at the little bundle in his arms. The face that looked back at him smiling and waving it's little arms at him looked so pure, so innocent.

"_Fine, fine. Then grab some poles and that rope we were tied with and we'll make a litter." _

Maybe the hell he had just lived through had been worth it if it meant that this one precious little life was saved.

"_No Ron. Use a lashing knot like the Japanese Square Lashing! Here, let me show you."_

Harry waved his finger in front of the little baby and he/she/it grabbed the finger with one little pudgy hand, squealing in delight as Harry made little baby sounds.

Harry looked up to his friends as he noticed they were silent to find them both staring at him with a stupid grin on their faces.

"What?" he asked defensively.

Finally, they had the stretcher ready. Hermione tried to take the baby from Harry but he insisted on holding on to it. After a short walk down a very long path, they finally found themselves at the curbside. Hermione stuck out her wand and backed away from the curb.

Nothing happened so Harry sat down on a rock by the side of the road.

A few minutes later a loud bang resonated in the country air and there was the Knight Bus in all it's purple glory.

"Blimey! Never been out in this neck of tha woods eh Ern?"

"Hey Stan. We need emergency transportation back to Hogwarts. We don't have any money on us but we will have some once we are back at Hogwarts. We were kidnapped you see and just managed to get away."

"Blimey Ern! It's 'Arry Potter again." suddenly the impact of what Harry had said seemed to get through to Stan.

"You been kidnapped? Get on quick. Ern Hogwarts and step on it!"

The trio was escorted into the bus.

"Ere, 'ave some hot choc'lat. Bloody hell! Is that there a baby?"

"We can't really talk about it yet Stan. We need to talk to the headmaster first and the Aurors."

"I understand Mr. Potter. No worries, no worries. Ern, make us a baby bottle and heat us up some milk will ya. There's a baby back here and I be thinkin it be hungry."

Stan handed Harry the baby bottle. Harry looked in panic at Hermione.

"Why are you looking at me? It's not like I have that much experience with babies Harry."

"Yeah but 'mione you're a girl. Girls know about babies." was Ron's ill chosen reply.

Harry rubbed his forehead with the hand holding the bottle and looked up to Stan.

"Here they go. They'll be at this for a good twenty minutes at least." He whispered to the conductor.

'Just give the baby the nib. It will know what to do. And I think it needs to be changed as well.' said Silias.

Harry got a look of pure panic on his face at that.

Hermione and Ron were oblivious to their friends distress as they were too engrossed in their argument.

"_What did I tell you about calling me 'Mione?"_

Harry fed the baby and once the bottle was done looked up to Stan once more.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to need to destroy one of your blankets. I'll also need some hot water. I think it needs to be changed."

"_But look Hermione, you just picked up that baby like you had been doing it all your life. Did you see Harry's face when you gave him the baby. I thought he was going to have a panic attack."_

"Well good luck wi' tha Mr Potter." replied a smirking Stan as he handed Harry a blanket and a hot water bottle.

"_Honestly Ronald. The only reason I was not afraid to pick up the baby is because I have some common sense. It's not like were clumsy or anything. And I know about babies because I read a book on them with my parents when I asked them where babies came from. And do you know what that book told me? It told me that babies ARE NOT MADE OUT OF PORCELAIN AND WON'T BREAK AT THE SLIGHTEST JOLT."_

Harry tore a part of the blanket and turned it into a makeshift diaper. He used the rest to clean the baby with using the hot water from the hot water bottle. Changing the diaper, under Silias's careful tutelage, did solve one mystery: the baby was a girl.

Harry looked up to his friends. They had gone all quiet for some reason. They were staring at him with that look that Harry was now getting used to. Ron was looking at him as if he had grown a second head and Hermione looked very proud.

"Mate! You changed it's diaper?"

"Well done Harry. I know adult men who aren't that brave."

"Well, I'm glad I know why I'm in Gryffindor then." Harry replied with a chuckle. "Oh and Ron. It's a she."

They continued on the way in silence for a time. Hermione took out a book from her makeshift bag and started reading. A few moments later she snapped the book shut and stashed it away again.

"What's wrong Hermione?" asked Harry.

"I read some of the notes in this book. I didn't understand even half of it but what I did understand was disturbing. They were going to wipe her soul out and use the body as building blocks to create a new, temporary body for that spirit. At least, that's what I think they were going to do. It was all very complicated."

Stan, Harry and Ron looked at each other looking rather pale.

They finally arrived in front of the gates of Hogwarts. The bus came to a stop and Stan disembarked with the Trio.

"I'll escort ya all to tha school. Always wanted ta see it."

"You never went to Hogwarts Stan?" asked an intrigued Hermione.

"Nah. I'm a Squib see. Blimey it's beautiful."

Halfway to the doors, the small group was met by a large group of anxious looking teachers and adults . Albus Dumbledore at their head.

Stan, who had been carrying Quirell on his shoulders, deposited the unconscious ex-professor on the ground and took a respectful step backwards.

"By Merlin's beard your all safe and sound." came the relieved voice of Mrs. Weasley. The Weasley matron made her way to the front of the group and grabbed Ron in a tight hug.

Harry saw Hermione stop dead in her tracks. Standing there with the teachers were her parents. They quickly rushed to Hermione's side and engulfed her in a tight hug as well.

Harry stood there, a little awkwardly, holding the baby girl they had found at Riddle Manor. He looked at Ron and Hermione, being hugged by their loving parents and feeling a bit sorry for himself. The baby gave a small gurgle, breaking Harry out of his reverie. What of this child. Where were her parents? Was she now, like Harry, an orphan?

"Mr. Potter? Harry?" Harry looked up to find his head of house looking at him with concern in her eyes.

"Yes professor?" Harry asked.

"Are you alright? Do you need medical attention?"

"No, no professor. I'm fine."

The little girl in Harry's arms gave another gurgle.

"Who is that in your arms there Mr. Potter?"

"We don't know professor. We found her in an abandoned manor surrounded by dark arts stuff."

Professor Dumbledore, who had been checking on Quirell approached the two people talking.

"I think it would be best if we moved this meeting into my office. Poppy, could you take care of professor Quirell?"

With that the headmaster guided Harry towards the castle. Before he even knew it, Harry found himself sitting in a chair in the headmasters office. Most of the teachers had returned to their classes and only the headmaster, Mrs. Weasley, the Granger's and Professor McGonagall remained.

Professor McGonagall took a glass book end and turned it into a ornate wooden crib for the baby.

Fawkes trilled a short song and landed on Harry's knee.

"I'm sorry Fawkes, I don't have any grapes."

The phoenix gave a trill that could have been interpreted as 'scolding' and pushed it's head against Harry's hand.

'I guess you, Hedwig and Swifthoof are my family then.' he thought to himself.

"If I could have everyones attention please. I believe that we can get to the bottom of this situation quickly and allow you all time to be with your families."

'Everyone except me that is.' thought Harry.

"Now I will begin with introductions. This is Adam Granger and his wife Jane. This is Molly Weasley. Mr and Mrs Granger, this is Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter."

Harry was dismayed to see that their eyes did the habitual flick towards his scar routine that Harry was used to seeing from witches and wizards.

Just then the fireplace in the headmasters study burst into emerald flames and out stepped Auror Shacklebolt.

"Ah! Auror Shaklebolt. Just in time."

The headmaster repeated his introductions for the Auror.

"Now Harry, if you could maybe explain to us what happened? How you found yourself on the Knight Bus with an unconscious Quirell and a small baby girl?"

"Quirell and a baby girl?" asked the Auror in surprise but the headmaster quieted him down by holding up his hand.

"I believe we should listen to Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger's tale."

Once the story told, everyone sat there in silence. Only the scratching of Auror Shaklebolt's quill disturbed the silence.

"So to recap Mr. Potter. You believe that professor Quirell was being possessed by a dark spirit of some kind and that this spirit was forcing him to commit these crimes?"

"I can show you a pensieve memory of it if you want Mr. Shaklebolt. It's just what we could figure out."

"That would be greatly appreciated. Mr. Potter."

The headmaster waved his wand and his Pensieve floated to his desk.

"Now remember Mr. Potter that you must focus clearly on the memory you wish to show us."

Harry pulled the memory from his mind and deposited it into the pensieve.

"Mr. And Mrs. Granger. Would you like to join us in viewing the memory of this event?"asked the headmaster.

The Grangers gratefully accepted. Only Minerva McGonagall remained with the children.

Over half an hour later the pensieve audience returned to consciousness.

Mrs. Weasley was the first to react. She rushed over to her son and engulfed him in another hug. Then after a few moments, she engulfed Harry in one as well.

To say that Harry was surprised would be an understatement. He had never been touched like this before in his life by his relatives, to have it happen from a woman he considered a complete stranger was a little shocking. His relatives had always treated him as if he was diseased, a leper. Harry had no idea what to do or say and just stood there stiffly.

"You brave boy. You brave, brave boy." she wailed as she tried to flatten his hair somewhat.

Harry gave Ron a panicked look. His friend was not much help and just grinned at his best friend.

The Grangers were sitting there looking rather pale, holding Hermione as if she might disappear at any moment.

"Can I get either Mr. Weasley or Miss Granger to give me their memory of the visit in the manor?" asked the Auror.

Hermione, always eager to try new magic agreed immediately.

The auror entered the pensieve with the headmaster and the assembled parents again. On their return, the parents looked even more worried. Hermione's mother appeared ready to faint at any moment. Mrs. Weasley was putting a great deal of effort into not panicking. Even Auror Shaklebolt appeared shaken.

"Albus, can I make use of your fireplace please?"

"Of course Kingsley, go right ahead."

With that the auror went on hands and knees in front of the fireplace, threw some floo powder in and cried out. "Ministry of Magic – Amelia Bones's Office" and then stuck his head in the fire.

"Can I borrow these memories for a few days? I promise they will be returned to you soon."

Harry agreed instantly. It was not the first time he lent the auror some memories.

Hermione looked to her parents.

"It's your decision honey." was the answer to her unvoiced question.

"We will get them back?"

"Yes Miss Granger, you will get them back in a week at the most."

"Very well then."

The auror took out two unbreakable vials. But before he could take Harry's the headmaster stopped him.

"Could Harry maybe re-absorb that memory and give you a more defined copy? He still needs practice in defining the memory and much of that is of no use to the law enforcement agencies."

"Of course headmaster, of course. Mr. Potter."

Harry re-absorbed the memory and concentrated hard on only the bits that were important to the investigation.

"I'll return in a few minutes." with that Shaklebolt took the memories from Hermione and Harry and stepped through the fire back to the Ministry of Magic.

"Lemon drop anyone?" asked the headmaster with a twinkle in his eyes.

Harry wasn't able to repress a snort which got Hermione and Ron going as well. The Grangers looked at the children as if they had gone mad. Mrs. Weasley and Professor McGonagall were working hard to suppress their laughter while the headmaster smiled benignly as usual.

"Why are you all laughing? This is no laughing matter Hermione. You were kidnapped!" Jane Granger could, apparently, no longer take the pressure. The horrors she had witnessed had finally made her snap.

"Miss Granger, were safe. More importantly, that little girl in the crib is alive because of what happened. I think were just a little relieved that everything worked out ok." commented Harry.

"This world is too dangerous. We're pulling Hermione out of this school. With tutors she can catch up the her missed year easily and we can put this all behind us."

This statement had an immediate effect on the assembled people. Hermione cried out in despair, raging against her mother. Ron stood up saying that they could not pull Hermione away from the magical world. The headmaster's eyes stopped twinkling and he appeared suddenly older than Harry had ever seen him before.

"Honey, ignorance may be bliss but it does not make one any safer."

"I know Adam but she's only eleven and she's laughing after being kidnapped. It's not normal."

"No dear, it's not but then again, what they do isn't exactly what we consider normal either now is it. Look at what Harry here did to that statue in the graveyard. It simply disintegrated under him. They may appear to be at greater risk than us but honestly, they are simply more powerful than we are."

"Mrs. Granger. Where it would take a muggle weeks of healing to mend a broken bone, and still it would not be perfect, it takes only one night to regrow one using magic. Our magic also cushions us from trauma. A fall that would kill a muggle would only injure a wizard. Add to that our active defense, magic we invoke to defend ourselves, and we are much better equipped to survive dangerous encounters. Yes, we have our fair share of bad apples, felons, kidnappers, would be dictators but it is not so much different than in your world." said the Headmaster.

"We need some time to think about this."

"Of course Mrs. Granger. Guest quarters will be made available to you so that you may stay a few days and discuss this. This will also allow you to see that not everything here is dread and doom." offered the headmaster. "But for now we should await Kingley Shaklebolt's return so that we may conclude this investigation."

A few tense minutes later, Kingsley returned accompanied by Amelia Bones and two strangers.

"Albus." Greeted the head of the Magical Law Enforcement.

"Amelia, good to see you."

"I wish I could say the same Albus but every time I come here it's for some emergency or other." she said with an exasperated sigh.

"Alas, What fates impose, that men must needs abide; It boots not to resist both wind and tide."

"Shakespeare?"

"Why yes Mr. Granger."

"What now remains, my lords, for us to do but march to London with our soldiers?" continued Mr. Granger in an over dramatic voice.

"Gentlemen, as thrilling as this is we do have some rather pressing business to attend. Auror Stibbens and the Unspeakable here will be taking Quirinus Quirell into custody until we determine if the possessing spirit has actually been expelled. Mr. Potter, whatever you did was not a typical exorcism and so we have to take certain precautions."

The unnamed Unspeakable approached Hermione.

"I believe Miss Granger that you took some things from the crime scene. Considering the situation you were in, it is understandable but now we need them for the investigation."

Hermione quickly handed the bag over to the Unspeakable.

"Anything not deemed illegal will be either turned over to their respective owners or turned over to you and your friends depending on the situation. This may take a few months to sort out. Now if we could attend to Mr. Quirell, an exorcism, even such an unusual one as the one that was performed, can be somewhat damaging and I doubt Madame Pomfrey is properly trained for this type of eventuality."

With that Stibbens and the Unspeakable left the headmasters office.

The rest of the investigation continued on quickly and finally the students and parents were free to go. The Grangers were escorted by Minerva McGonagall, to some guest quarters while Mrs. Weasley and Ron left for Gryffindor tower to talk to the other Weasleys. Harry was on the verge of leaving, after returning Fawkes to his perch, when the headmaster approached him.

"Mr. Potter, how are you really?"

Harry looked around the office and noticed that Madame Bones and Kingsley were still present and watching the conversation intently.

"I'm fine sir." he replied.

"We have a few things we need to discuss with you in private Mr. Potter. I was wondering if you could spare some time now. I would understand if you preferred waiting until later as you have just gone through a rather traumatic experience."

Harry looked the headmaster in the eye. The eyes looked old but still held some twinkle to them. Apparently the headmaster was also feeling the weight of the days events.

"Am I in trouble? I know I did magic outside of school but what else could I do?"

Madame Bones responded to Harry's slightly panicked question.

"No, no Mr. Potter. You are not in any kind of trouble. We are here to speak to you, in part at least, about the court case involving your Godfather, Sirius Black."

Harry looked up quickly at that. He had completely forgotten about the court case to free his Godfather.

"He has been freed Mr. Potter. I asked your solicitors to give us the chance to break you the news and I am sure they are preparing a document for you interpreting the legalese. Unfortunately, Mr. Black's release comes with a few concessions. Actually his release has no conditions linked to it but your guardianship does. Ten years in Azkaban, even three years in Azkaban, can leave witches and wizards insane. Your godfather appears relatively sane but for the next year he must undergo both mental and physical healing and evaluations before he is allowed to take custody of you and then only if the healers agree that he is fit to do so."

Harry didn't really know how to react to this news. On the one hand, he was glad that the man was free but on the other he had yet to meet the man. These people were talking about guardianship and the likes but Harry knew that he would need to return to Private Drive at least a few weeks a year to renew the magic his mother had given him. And then there was also the question of Sirius wanting anything to do with him or not.

Apparently, some of this must have shown on Harry's face.

"We thought you would have been happy Mr. Potter." said Amelia Bones.

"I am. I'm happy he's out of jail since he didn't do anything wrong." replied Harry.

"I feel a but in there somewhere."

Harry looked around the room, a little nervous.

The head of Magical Law Enforcement seemed unsure of how to deal with this lack of enthusiasm.

"Well, Mr. Black should be well enough to receive visitors in a weeks time. I'm sure the headmaster can arrange a visit. Again, it was nice meeting you Mr. Potter. Maybe next time we won't have an emergency to deal with."

And with that she left through the headmaster's fireplace.

Harry looked up to the headmaster and Kingley Shaklebolt.

"That is all Mr. Potter, that is all. You should head over to the hospital wing and have Madame Pomfrey tend to any wounds you currently have."

"Actually headmaster, if I could impose on young Mr. Potter here a bit more, I could use an escort out of the school. I need to do a side along apparition with the baby and take her to child services."

Harry looked up quickly to the crib. He had forgotten all about the baby he had cared for on the way back from Riddle Place.

"I don't mind professor. I'm just a bit tired really." replied Harry quickly.

"Very well but then it would be best if you returned to your dorm after and rested. You and your friends will be excused from class for the next three days to recuperate. Mrs. Weasley and the Grangers will be our guests during this time."

With that Harry picked up the child in the crib and headed out towards the spiraling staircase.

"Oh! Before you go Mr. Potter. I was wondering if I could borrow your map until the start of the next term? We are attempting to duplicate it for our own use, only school security, not for patrols or anything of the kind."

"Yeah. Sure, I don't mind."

"Good, good, thank you very much Mr. Potter. Now off you go."

Harry adeptly guided the auror through the school corridors. They remained in silence for a time when Kingsley Shaklebolt finally spoke up.

"You know Mr. Potter, I originally was here only to tell you about your godfather's case. Imagine my surprise when the headmaster tells me you have Quirell and this little one here."

"You didn't know we were missing?"

"No. I was in a closed session of the Wizengamot all day. As soon as the judgment was passed I came here to tell you."

"Oh! Well, thanks."

They marched on for a time in silence. The only sound coming from the small bundle Harry carried in his arms. Harry looked at her again wondering if she, like him, was going to be an orphan.

"What's going to happen to her Mr. Shaklebolt?"

"I don't rightly know Mr. Potter. I'll pass her on to child services for now while we try to figure out who she is, where she comes from and if her parents are still alive. Cases like these are always complicated."

Once at the gates to the Hogwarts grounds, Harry passed the child over to Kingsley.

"Well Mr. Potter, thank you for your help and I'll be seeing you again."

With a wave and a pop, the auror and the baby were gone.


	27. Chapter 26: The Hermione Crisis part 1

The Hermione crisis – The kids.

"But mom. They can't take her out of school. She belongs here, you know it."

"I know dear but what can we do, they are her parents."

Harry entered the Gryffindor common room to find the Weasleys in various states of distress.

"You don't understand mum." said Fred, or was it George.

"Hermione is bloody brilliant." continued the other.

"Language George!" berated their mother.

"But they are right mum. I bet she has straight O's on her OWLs when we take them. She even beats the Ravenclaws in all the tests we take."

"Thanks ikkle ronnikins." They twins said in unison.

Ron noticed Harry standing in the entrance.

"Harry. Come on over, were trying to figure out what to do to get Hermione's parents to let her stay."

"Yeah! Were just trying to get mom to interfere. She can convince anyone of anything."

"George! Stop trying to butter me up. It's their decision if she goes or stays and we have no business interfering."

"Actually Mrs. Weasley, Hermione is our friend so that does make it our business."

"Listen to professor Potter mum ..."

"He's wise beyond his years that one."

Mrs. Weasley looked at her children and Harry and finally gave a sigh of resignation.

"If you all feel so strongly about this then alright, I'll talk with them and see if I can't help."

The twins gave identical grins while Harry and Ron gave each other a high five.

Harry sat down on the couch while Ron explained to the twins what had happened. The rest of the common room was empty since classes were currently in progress. Ron was telling them how Harry had destroyed the statue when sleep overtook him.

Harry woke up some time later in his own bed safely under the covers.

Looking about the dorm Harry noticed the sleeping forms of his friends and could hear Ron's loud snores.

'How did I end up in my Pajamas?' Harry asked himself in confusion.

Looking at the second watch he had bought himself, this one by owl order since his LCD watch didn't work in Hogwarts due to all the magical interference, it was 7am Monday morning.

Harry got out of bed and looked out of the dormitory windows unto the school grounds. There by the edge of the forest was Swifthoof.

Opening the main doors Harry was surprised to find Swifthoof there. The stallion usually waited for him at the edge of the forest and then ventured on the castle grounds but this time he had come to greet his friend.

"What's wrong boy?" Harry asked.

Harry lowered his defenses and to his surprise, could not feel the dark presence anymore. After days of constant attacks, it's absence was rather surprising.

Recovering from the surprise Harry looked the stallion in the eyes and feelings of concern and protection flooded into him.

"You knew I was in trouble yesterday? That's strange." Harry mumbled to himself rubbing Swifthoof's flank to calm him.

'Not so strange master Potter. The bond between a unicorn and his or her chosen is not well documented. Maybe it did sense you were in peril.' answered Silias.

Harry decided to put all these thoughts out of his mind and mounted Swifthoof instead to take him a run around the grounds. The run was calming, actually Harry was not sure if it was the run or the presence of the unicorn that had such a calming effect on him.

Swifthoof's mate joined them as they passed by the lake right up to the main entrance of the castle.

Sitting there on the steps where Hermione's parents. Both were staring at Harry with awe in their eyes.

"They are so beautiful." Mrs. Granger was the first to approach the unicorns.

Harry grinned over to Adam Granger who was smirking at his wife. "They have this effect on all the girls."

"Aren't Unicorns supposed to only stand the touch of virgin maids and the likes?" asked Mr. Granger.

"I don't really know much about muggle legends. My aunt and uncle are against anything related to magic so I never really had faerie tales read to me. Unicorns prefer virgin girls, when they are younger they even let guys get close."

Jane Granger was patting the flank of the mare. "Then how can you be ridding this one Mr. Potter?"

"That's a bit of a mystery. It's not unheard of for Unicorn to make friends with someone, either male or female, but we don't know why we get chosen. You can come and pet them Mr. Granger, they trust me to watch out for them so they allow certain boys and men to get close as long as I'm around."

Adam Granger slowly approached the stallion and seeing that he was not about to be gored started patting it's flank.

After a few minutes of this Jane Granger turned to Harry.

"Was this visit planned by the headmaster Mr. Potter? Is this supposed to convince us to let Hermione stay?" she asked.

"I don't think so. I woke up early after falling asleep in the common room last night and saw Swifthoof here at the edge of the forest. He comes to see me once in a while for a ride. I think he was worried about me yesterday. No one controls unicorns so I doubt that Swifthoof is here for any other reason than he was worried about me. No one can control a unicorn."

Swifthoof neighed at that point and turned towards the forest.

"See you soon." Harry whispered to the stallion giving him a friendly pat on his flank. The mare and stallion headed out at a full run towards the forest.

"Can we talk to you Mr. Potter?" asked Adam Granger.

"Uhm, sure. I don't know what I could help you with really."

"Tell us what you like about the magical world." continued Jane.

"Well, I have friends here. I met Ron, he's one of my best friends, on the Hogwarts express on my way here. I ... I, never really had friends at home. My Aunt and Uncle don't like magic and well, I guess that makes them hate me." replied Harry, hesitantly.

"I'm sure they don't hate you Mr. Potter."

"Oh no Mr. Granger. They hate me."answered Harry with conviction.

Jane and Adam Granger traded a concerned look.

"What do you mean dear?" asked a concerned Jane Granger.

"I'd rather not talk about that. It's got nothing to do with the magical world."

"Ok, if that's what you really want."

"Thanks Mr. Granger."

"I heard that you weren't always friends with Hermione. Why was that?" Adam asked as if the conversation had never deviated from it's original course.

"Well, I had nothing against Hermione. Actually I always thought she was brilliant in class but she was also very bossy and that kind of was annoying at first."

"Well, from what I saw yesterday she's still quite bossy."

"Well yes Mr. Granger but it's not like that was a normal situation. She's calmed down a lot about it and really after what we went through you can't really walk away from that and not be friends."

Harry stood there for a second with a look of concentration on his face trying to recall what Hermione had said that day in the hospital wing.

"I know now why men who have been to war yearn to reunite. Not to tell stories or to look at old pictures. Not to laugh or weep on one another's knee. Comrades gather because they long to be with men who once acted their best. Hermione is always saying smart things like that."

Harry continued for a time telling the Grangers about his classes and his favorite professors. Both laughed at Professor Flitwick's antics. Until Harry's stomach grumbled.

"Well dear, maybe we should let Harry here go and have breakfast." said Mrs. Granger.

"Thank you Harry for taking the time to talk to us." continued Mr. Granger.

Harry entered the Great Hall and found Ron and Hermione sitting there having a heated conversation.

"Hey guys."

"Harry, where were you? We were worried."

Ron rolled his eyes at this. "She was worried mate. I figured you had just gone for a walk."

"Actually, Swifthoof was at the edge of the forest so I went and had a ride. I also met with your parents Hermione."

Harry sat down and started filling his plate with food and started to explain about his conversation with the elder Grangers.

"Meeting two unicorns might have got them to see that there is more to the magical world than Trolls and Evil Spirits." said Hermione.

"Meaa anf ney lso mt fwarks."

"Ronald, don't talk with your mouth full. It's disgusting!"

Ron took a second and swallowed his mouthful of eggs quickly, chasing it down with some pumpkin juice.

"Sorry Hermione. Yeah and they also met Fawkes. Now all we have to do is keep them away from the slimy Slytherins."

They continued brainstorming on ways to convince Hermione's parents to let her stay in school. Eventually they were joined by Fred and George and the suggestions went from reasonable to ludicrous rather quickly.

The five friends were laughing loudly at a suggestion one of the twins had made involving disguising themselves as angels and levitating themselves up to the Grangers's room to tell them it was declared by God that Hermione stay in school. Hermione, always the practical one, started writing down the spells and timing that would be required to pull the prank off.

"So guys, How did I end up in bed and in my PJ's?" asked a perplexed Harry. The Question had been bothering him all morning.

"Mum changed you and put you to bed." Replied Ron nonchalantly.

"Oh! Ok, that makes sense." replied Harry.

He took a sip of pumpkin juice, which he quickly expelled all over Gred or Forge as Ron's answer sunk in.

"She did what?" asked an incredulous Harry Potter in a low voice.

After a few seconds, Ron was able to calm his laughing enough to attempt to answer.

"Well, when mum saw you sleeping there she got all teary eyed and ... what was it she said exactly Fred?"

Fred put on his best Molly Weasley face and in a fairly good imitation of his mother's voice, recounted what she had said. "Oh the poor dear. So brave but so young. Come along Ronald, you can show me where his things are and I'll tuck him into bed."

Harry turned red as a tomato right up to his ears in embarrassment.

"Thanks Fred. Well then she gets up and scoops you up like your five years old and carries you up to our dorm. Then ... then ..."

Ron was unable to continue talking and simply broke out laughing.

Harry was too mortified to ask anyone to continue ... of course that didn't stop the twins.

"That's alright Ron. We'll take it from here. Then she took you upstairs, undressed you, put you into your PJ's ..."

"Nice PJ's by the way but what's Spiderman?"

"Gred, that's not important right now. So she puts you into your PJ's and tucks you in."

Harry's complexion changed instantly, from bright red to white, at hearing this. Their mother had tucked him in? Ok so she had also put him in his PJ's which was rather embarrassing but she had tucked him in? His aunt Petunia had never done that for him.

Harry could feel the tears welling up in his eyes and decided to beat a hasty retreat before he broke down in front of his friends.

"Well, I haven't written to Ginny in a while. I guess I'll head up and do that now."

With that Harry stood up quickly and walked purposefully towards the doors.

"Oy! Harry. We didn't mean to insult you."

"Yeah mate. It was all in good fun."

Ron had remained silent and Harry knew that Hermione was telling the twins something but he didn't

care at this point.

Back in the dormitory Harry sat on his bed and closed the drapes, giving himself a modicum of privacy.

He didn't know why he had reacted so much to the event.

"I'm just being stupid." He told himself while wiping tears from his eyes and cheeks. After a few minutes he finally had his emotion under control and walked over to a desk to write to Ginny.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Again, sorry for the delay in writing back. Things went from crazy to insane real quick here and it involves dark wizards again._

_Ok, Dark Wizard number one: Sirius Black._

_Sirius Black, my godfather, was sent to Azkaban for crimes he didn't commit. He was sent there without a trial. I found that out when we found Dark Wizard number two: Peter Pettigrew._

_Peter Pettigrew was my parents real secret keeper and HE sold them out to Voldemort. He was living as a rat, a real rat, all these years and you will never guess where he was living. With you guys. He was Scabbers. Petter is an illegal animagus._

_The headmaster captured Peter and I hired the best solicitors I could get to get him out of prison. I just found out he was freed._

_Now, on to Dark Wizard number three: Quirell._

_Professor Quirell kidnapped Hermione, Ron and me. I did some accidental magic and I somehow exorcised him. He was being possessed by a dark spirit and being forced to do the things he was doing. _

_I'll give you more information this summer._

_If that's not enough, Hermione's parents are here and they're talking about taking her out of Hogwarts. We're trying to keep Hermione calm and we're also trying to figure out a way to keep her here. Any suggestions? Your brothers came up with some funny but impractical ideas._

_How's the Occlumency going? I'm happy to hear that your doing good with the exercises I sent you._

_Thanks for the info on your dad. I'll make sure to get him something._

_The dragon reserves sound great. I'd love to see a dragon and so would Hagrid. He's a little crazy, he wants one for a pet._

_I loved the Weasley Sweater and the picture was great. Not really realistic, I don't look anything that ... that noble on Swifthoof but that's not your fault, you haven't seen me fall off him half a dozen times so I'm sure getting the right motion of me hitting the ground face first would have been hard._

_I really liked it, really. It takes a lot of talent to make me look like some faerie tale prince on a white horse._

_Well, that's it for now. Hopefully, next time I write you I won't mention any dark wizards. _

_Let us know if you think of anything for Hermione. Her parents are going away in two days so if you do think of something let us know quick._

_Harry Potter._

_P.S.: Keep going with the Occlumency training. I managed to hold of a major attack the other day. The spirit that was possessing the professor was trying to get into my mind apparently._

Hedwig came over to the desk, seeing that her master was done writing and stuck out her leg.

"Thanks girl. This goes to Ginny."

Hedwig gave Harry a look that could be clearly translated to "I do know how to do my job you know" and took off.


	28. Chapter 27: The Hermione Crisis part 2

The Hermione crisis – The Adults.

The morning after the kidnapping found Albus Dumbledore wandering the halls of Hogwarts, deep in thought.

Quirell had yet to awoken from his possession but appeared physically well. Or well enough for one who's life force had been feeding a dark spirit for over a year, well enough for one who had been forced to drink unicorns blood for several months, well enough for one who's conscious mind was being slowly eroded away by the will of a dark spirit.

The headmaster breathed a sigh of frustration. Quirell would most likely be severely affected by his encounter with the spirit. His chances of living a normal life were very slim.

The headmaster stared out of the windows overlooking the grounds of Hogwarts.

Then there was Hermione Granger. The child had such potential but if things kept on as they were now, she would be taken away from the magical world, her potential never achieved.

The headmaster took out the Marauders map and scanned it's pages for something and a few moments later strode purposefully down a series of corridors where he found Hermione's parents.

"Mr. And Mrs. Granger. I do hope you found the rooms to your liking?"

"Yes, but I almost attacked one of the servants here when it suddenly appeared in our rooms to take our clothes for the laundry."

"I am sorry Mrs. Granger. I should have explained about the house elves. After one-hundred and fifty years in the magical world, one grows accustomed to their presence."

Mr. Granger looked at the headmaster uncomfortably. "We understand from our daughter that the house elves are ... well ..."

"Slaves Mr. Granger?"

"Is it true professor?" continued Jane.

"Please call me Albus. I am fairly certain I have never taught any classes in which you were students. As to your question regarding house elves. It is a complicated question but I guess that the short version of the answer would be yes, they are technically slaves. The reasons for this are many and complicated."

"How can you condone slavery?" asked a horrified Jane Granger.

"I do not condone slavery Mrs. Granger. One of the main factors making it almost impossible to free a house elf is that they do not wish freedom. And in reality, is it slavery to allow a being to do that which it wants most to do? I have even attempted to give the Hogwarts house elves days off when I was a young, naive and newly instated headmaster. Do you know what their reaction was?"

The Grangers shook their heads in unison.

"The poor things started crying." the headmaster was laughing now, his eyes glinting with mirth. "They begged me not to give them clothes and that they would work harder, like proper house elves. To them, time off was considered a punishment. It took me the better part of two weeks to bring back their morale."

"They don't want to be free? They like working impossible hours?"

"Yes Mrs. Granger, they do. I actually make extra trips to the kitchens at night to give them something to do. I also do not discourage students, who have discovered the kitchens while exploring, from going to the kitchens as nothing makes the elves happier than to serve. I purposefully disregard midnight 'snack runs', as they are known, as it helps both the morale of the students and of the elves. I would rather that the students mischievous energies be spent going to the kitchens in illicit expeditions than in other, more destructive ways. I like my castle standing and not in ruins."

They walked in silence for a time. The headmaster giving the Grangers time to work through the information he had just given them.

"Lemon drop?" asked the headmaster.

"Sweets at seven thirty in the morning?" asked an incredulous Mr. Granger.

"I guess it is rather early." replied the headmaster looking a little put out.

"We don't eat sweets, we're dentists." clarified Mrs. Granger.

"Ah yes. It had slipped my mind." replied the headmaster as he popped a small yellow orb into his mouth.

They went on in silence for a time until they found themselves at the double doors leading to the Hogwarts grounds.

"I believe we shall part company for a time. A quick trip on the grounds might be refreshing if I do say so myself. Refreshing and enlightening. Shall we have breakfast together around fifteen past eight then?"

The Grangers nodded in agreement and walked off towards the double doors.

The headmaster started humming a small tune looking around the castle for something requiring his attention. Seeing nothing immediate, he decided to head towards the kitchen to get a cup of "before breakfast" tea.

Tickling the pear to enter the kitchens, the Headmaster was greeted by many a "Master Dumbledore Sirs" and "Can we's be getting the great and powerful Dumbledore anything?".

The headmaster conjured himself a chair in a corner and sat down drinking his tea, looking at the controlled chaos of the Hogwarts kitchens.

The headmaster took out a battered piece of parchment from his pockets, touched it with his wand and spoke.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The elves around the headmaster looked up at him in confusion while the headmaster chuckled softly.

The Marauders map filling up with a plan of the castle.

On the map, sitting on the steps at the doors of the castle proper were two dots: Jane Granger and Adam Granger. On the grounds was Harry Potter, moving very, very fast. Harry's dot approached the Grangers and remained there for quite some time. Eventually Harry left the Grangers and started walking towards the Great Hall were Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were located.

The headmaster stood and took his leave of the elves.

"I hope your visit of the grounds was pleasant?" asked the headmaster his eyes twinkling madly as usual as he caught up the the Grangers.

"You set us up. You knew Harry was out there with the unicorns." came Jane Granger's accusation.

The fact that they called Harry by his first name was not lost on the headmaster and the twinkling in his eyes grew greatly.

"I must admit to my guilt. During my morning wanderings of the halls I chanced upon a window looking unto the grounds and saw Mr. Potter enjoying some time with his animal friends. I felt that this was a good occasion to expose you to one of the paragons of good of the wizarding world."

"Hello everyone. Had a good sleep Mr. And Mrs. Granger?"

Mrs. Weasley approached the couple and the headmaster from the doors leading to the grounds.

"Please call us Adam and Jane."

"Only if you call me Molly, Adam." replied Mrs. Weasley jovially.

"Well shall we head over to the great hall and have breakfast?" queried Dumbledore.

With that they entered the great hall. Being so early, the great hall was a little empty but sitting at the Gryffindor tower were Harry, Ron and Hermione discussing something in earnest while having breakfast.

"Humm, I believe that a bit of eaves dropping is in order." and with that the headmaster waved his wand in an intricate pattern.

"Notice me not charm Albus?"

"Yes Molly. I think that it would be good for us to observe what is happening at the Gryffindor table without drawing too much attention on ourselves."

The three students were discussing something with earnest. Ron speaking with his mouthful and being reproached by Hermione.

"That boy! I swear it's like we never tried to teach him any manners." commented an irate Mrs. Weasley.

Eventually the trio was joined by the Weasley twins and the serious conversation started taking a silly turn. Snatches of the conversation could be heard.

"Then we have Harry here float us up with a Levitation Charm ..."

"Seeing how it's his specialty ..."

"Right, so he floats us up and you two use Lumos spells on us from above on brooms. We walk in by the window and declare ..."

"That God has decided that Hermione must continue studying magic."

"It just can't fail."

The Grangers were confused by the Twins byplay.

"Don't ask, we have no idea how they do it." commented Mrs. Weasley.

"You see Mr. And Mrs. Granger. Your daughter is very happy here." said the aged headmaster.

"Jane dear, I don't think I've ever seen Hermione so happy and carefree. Look, she's currently talking about pulling a prank on us."

"I'm sorry Jane and Adam. My boys are such a bad influence on her."

"No, no Molly. Adam is right. This is the happiest I have ever seen Hermione in all my life. She never had friends before."

The adults remained in silence for a time longer.

"Can you guarantee me her safety Mr. Dumbledore?" asked a determined Jane Granger.

"No, I cannot. 'Fate is not satisfied with inflicting one calamity.'. The only assurance I can give you is that I will do my best to keep her as safe as I can."

Harry asked something unintelligible to the group at that moment. The response from Ron was apparently shocking as Harry spit out the pumpkin juice he was drinking all over one of the twins in surprise.

Fred or George did not appear to care so much and simply laughed at Harry along with the others.

They continued to talk for a time when suddenly Harry stood up and stormed out of the Great Hall.

Mrs. Weasley made to follow him as he appeared distraught but was stopped by the headmaster.

"He will be fine. I believe he needs time to sort things out on his own right now. You must remember Molly that he does not really know you and I believe that your intervention at this moment would complicate things."

"Very well Albus, but the poor boy has no one."

"Give him time Molly. He needs to come to you and eventually Sirius if he so wishes."

Jane looked to her husband and he nodded to her unasked question.

"He mentioned that his aunt and uncle hate him. We figured it was simply childhood angst but I guess there's more to this than we know?"

The headmaster seemed to ponder that question for a time.

"There is but unfortunately, it is not my place to discuss this with you. I have failed Mr. Potter once, twice if you count my inability to protect him from a possessed Quirell. I will not betray his confidence now."

"Maybe one day he'll let us all know. I have some idea of his family life but he never really talks about it. He mentioned a few things to Ronald and Ginerva, that's my daughter, but he never goes into any detail."

The headmaster canceled the notice-me-not charm and they proceeded to the head table. After a hearty breakfast, the Grangers addressed the headmaster and the Gryffindor head of house.

"We've come to a decision."


	29. Chapter 28: Sirius Black

Sirius Black

Harry remained in his room for the rest of the day.

Ron, Hermione and the Twins had dropped in to make sure he was ok and had left after confirming he was alright. Once they had left, Harry took hold of Silias, closed his eyes and entered his 'Amulet trance' as he called it.

'Silisa, you've been pretty quiet lately. Are you ok?' asked a concerned Harry.

'I am, I was not sure if you would want to speak to me after what I did to you.' replied the pendant.

Harry sat there and thought about that statement for a time.

'You hurt me. I didn't like what you did at all but you did it to save me and my friends so I guess it's ok. I hope I never have to go through that again.'

'Thank-you master. I am sorry, I felt I had no other choice.' replied an obviously relieved Silias.

'It's alright Silias. You've been teaching me wandless magic right so we shouldn't need to do that anymore.'

Here Silias seemed a little hesitant. 'Well, due to the attacks on your mind I changed my focus from wandless magic to Occlumency. The need was more immediate.'

'How am I going to practice magic this summer then?' asked a now, very depressed Harry Potter.

'Well, your trunk is extra-dimensional pocket. It's not really in England, it's not really in this plane of existence actually so the sensor can't reach into it once the trunk is closed. You could fix up the cavern into a small apartment with a training area.'

Harry was broken out of his trance by a loud screeching coming from the door to his dorm. Hermione was standing there looking ecstatic.

"They said I could stay. My parents said I could stay!" she cried happily jumping into Harry's bed. Soon, Ron followed as well.

"That's great Hermione. What made them change their minds?" asked Harry.

"You and the others. They said they see that I'm happy here and I'm safer being equipped with the knowledge to control my gifts than being obliviated and sent back to the muggle world."

"That's great 'mione. We were worried we'd have to kidnap you or something." replied Ron.

"Ron, what have I told you about calling me 'mione?" Hermione didn't really look annoyed when she asked this.

'Here they go again' Harry thought to himself.

Harry grabbed Silias and quickly entered his trance.

'I only have a few minutes before they notice something is off. So we turn the trunk into an apartment and training hall?'

'Yes Master Potter. You have more than enough money to afford furniture and the likes. In the trunk, you are in a pocket dimension and with the lid closed, the gateway closes making it a self contained dimension. This is actually a much easier solution than my initial suggestion.' explained Silias.

'Good, then that's what we will do then.'

With that Harry broke out of his trance and found that his friends were still arguing.

"I don't think that chess is a barbaric game, just wizards chess. Why do they have to destroy the other pieces?"

'How did they end up arguing about chess? They were arguing about her nickname a minute ago.' Harry wondered to himself.

"It's traditional Hermione. Wizards have been playing Wizards Chess for over two-hundred years now."

"That does not make it any less bar ..."

Harry grabbed one of his pillows and thumped Hermione hard on the head, effectively ending the argument. Hermione looked at Harry incredulously while Ron started grinning like maniac, scrambling for his bed.

A few minutes later Neville entered the dorm to find feathers flying all over. The trio, who were in the process of pummeling each other senseless with half empty pillow cases noticed the new target and paused for a moment.

"Destroy Longbottom!" cried out Harry.

"Cry 'Havoc', and let slip the dogs of war, that this foul deed shall smell above the earth with carrion men, groaning for burial" was Hermione's literary contribution.

Ron simply contented himself with an intimidating roar as he launched himself off the bed towards a bemused Neville, pillow swinging wildly over his head.

Later that day.

"Minerva my dear. Perhaps you could enlighten this old wizard as to the location of your students?" asked the headmaster with a calm expression on his face.

The head of Gryffindor house had been wondering the same thing for the past few minutes. Her table was literally empty. Not a single student from Gryffindor was present for supper and considering that some of those students were Weasleys, well it did give one something to worry about.

The other heads of house looked towards the transfiguration teacher to see what her answer would be as they also were wondering were one quarter of the school was.

"I don't know Albus. I have never known the Weasleys to miss out on a meal before." she replied.

The headmaster nodded sagely and drew the Marauders map from the folds of his robes.

Looking over the map, the headmaster found all the students in Gryffindor tower.

"It would appear that they are all in Gryffindor Tower. Perhaps a few of us should go and investigate." This was not a question but a statement.

The headmaster and the head of Gryffindor house both quickly marched out the great hall in the direction of Gryffindor tower, closely followed by a few other teachers, Mrs. Weasley and the Grangers.

At the portrait of the fat lady, the assembled adults could hear screaming coming from the common room. McGonagall quickly gave the password to the Fat Lady and walked through the portrait hole only to receive a pillow in the stomach, knocking her over and into a chair by the entrance.

The common room was covered in feathers. In the center of the common room, back to back were the Weasley twins, each wielding two pillows and keeping a small circle of students from varying years at bay. Apparently a few students had seen this as the perfect occasion to get even with the pranksters for years pranks.

In the stairs to the boys dormitory, Seamus Finigan and Dean Thomas were having a duel. By the entrance to the the girls dormitory, Neville Longbottom was fighting off both Ron and Hermione and all three were thumping any girl who tried to run from a boy by going up the girls staircase.

Sitting on a chair looking exhausted was Percy Weasley.

Apparently every single Gryffindor student had been somehow dragged into the pillow fight.

Finally someone noticed the teachers and parents standing, or in the case of professor McGonagall sitting, by the portrait hole and quickly a nervous quiet settled in the common room, spreading up the stairs with a whisper.

Harry, who had been sneaking up on Percy unawares, looked up at the assembled adults and then at the disaster that was the common room.

Percy quickly stood up and strode towards the assembled authority figures while the other students attempted to hide any incriminating evidence. This was of course a futile attempt as the whole room looked like a winter landscape.

"Professor, Headmaster. I am glad to see you all. I tried to calm them down, I tried to tell them there would be trouble for this but would they listen?" Percy started pompously.

The other heads of house were trying very hard not to start laughing at the state of Gryffindor tower while the headmaster was smiling brightly. Mrs. Weasley was giving the twins a glare, that could most likely burn through wood, obviously thinking the twins had been at the root of this mischief.

Minerva McGonagall looked at the assembled students quickly.

"Who is responsible for this chaos?"

"I am professor. I started it." Harry answered coming forward.

"We are professor, It was Ron, Harry and I who attacked Neville in the dorm and well, everything just snowballed from there."

"Very well Miss Granger. Five points each to Gryffindor for helping student morale."

Everyone looked up at this. They were being given points for causing a mess?

"But," continued the Transfiguration teacher "I expect you, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley to clean up this mess and repair all the pillows before you go down for supper. Now everyone else should head down and get something to eat before the tables are cleared."

And so ended the "Great Gryffindor pillow fight of 1992".

The following days passed on quickly. Hermione's parents returned to their practice and Mrs. Weasley returned to the Burrow.

Ginny had replied to Harry's letter quickly with suggestions on how to convince Hermione's parents to let her stay but by then it was no longer needed. Things returned to a quiet routine of classes, Quidditch practice and homework with nary a dark wizard in sight.

Classes were once again very easy now that Harry could concentrate fully on the class instead of constantly struggle against an invading mind. Well all classes except potions.

Severus Snape had changed somewhat. The potions master was still horrible to Harry and his friends but coupled with his unreasonable hatred of Harry was also curiosity. On a few occasions, the potions master had attacked Harry's defenses during class only to quickly retreat, as if testing his defenses. Every time would be the similar.

The potions master hovered between the tables as the students worked diligently at their potions. Harry was paired with Ron while Hermione had volunteered to partner with Neville. Harry, Hermione, Seamus and Pavarti had all volunteered to alternate with poor Neville who had apparently no aptitude in potions.

The potion, if one simply followed the instructions on the board, was incredibly difficult. Thankfully Harry had Silias explaining the why of each step as he and Ron went about creating the potion. Harry would share some of this information with Ron as they went along.

"Ok, so we need to lower the heat on the potion. Since this is actually a paste, we have to let it simmer on a low heat so it thickens. That's also part of the reason we added the two Ashwinder eggs." Harry passed on to Ron after Silias had finished explaining. "The eggs help the paste thicken and since this is a burn paste, the Ashwinder eggs will help with healing the burns by drawing the heat into the paste."

Under Silias's tutelage, potions made so much more sense. Snape did not bother explaining the why of the steps and only expected the students to memorize the steps themselves.

"Mate, you sound like Hermione when you do that. How did you learn so much about potions?" Ron commented. He was rather happy to have both Harry and Hermione helping him with his school work.

"My parents, they left me a lot of information in a trunk. They wanted to be sure I was prepared." replied Harry. It was after all true, the information was in Silias and Silias had been in the trunk.

Potions, of course was the only class in which Harry showed what he could really do and even then only in the context of the material that was being taught. The reason for this was professor Snape's teaching method ... or lack thereof. Without Harry's and Hermione's careful explanations of the brewing process, the Gryffindors would be hard pressed to pass the class.

The fact that Harry was good at potions apparently annoyed the potion masters to no end.

"Mr. Potter. This is not a social hour but a classroom. You shall keep your chattering strictly out of my classroom or you shall receive a zero for the class! Is that clear?"

Harry and Ron both jumped at the voice of the potion master. They had not noticed him creep up on them. In his surprise, Harry forgot the first rule of Occlumency: Avoid Eye Contact.

Instantly, Harry felt a presence pushing into his mind. He calmed his thoughts and formed the white walls of his defenses. Instantly, the classroom faded from sight and Harry found himself in the blank landscape of his mind. The presence stalked at the edge of the wall seeking a weakness. There was no pressure, simply the knowledge of a presence lurking beyond the safety of the walls of his mind. Apparently finding no weaknesses, the professor retreated from Harry's mind and stalked away.

'We really must improve on your defenses. We need you to be conscious of your surroundings while defending yourself.'

Harry did not bother replying and simply returned to the task at hand.

The week went on and Harry found himself in front , yet again, of the headmasters office. The headmaster had sent Harry a note during lunch asking for his presence that evening.

Before he could even knock on the door a voice greeted him.

"Come in Mr. Potter, come in."

Harry opened the door and noticed that the headmaster was not alone in the room. Present were Kingsley Shaklebolt; a tired looking man with a kindly face and a few scars, his sandy hair appeared peppered with gray and finally, sitting in a chair, was the man who had haunted his dreams: Sirius Black.

How Harry knew that the man before him was his godfather was a mystery. He had seen this mans face in his dreams over the past few weeks but it was impossible, he had never met the man. More accurately he had no proper recollection of the man. The last time he would have seen him, he would have been one year old.

Harry sat heavily in his usual chair and stared silently at his godfather. The man looked almost exactly as he had in his dreams. Maybe a bit cleaner and better fed but everything else was accurate down to the gray eyes.

A hand on his shoulder brought Harry out of his stunned state.

"Are you alright dear boy?" asked the headmaster with concern.

"Yeah ..." replied Harry. Then with more confidence "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, we have been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes." laughed the headmaster.

"Right ... sorry."

The assembled adults laughed.

"Well, I believe I will start the introductions over as Mr. Potter, the only person for whom these introductions matter, was somewhat distracted." this was said in a kindly voice.

"I believe you already know Mr. Shaklebolt."

Kingsley gave Harry a happy wave.

"And this is Remus Lupin. An old friend of your mother and father."

"Moony?" Harry whispered.

Sirius and Remus looked stunned.

"How did you know Harry?" asked the tired looking man.

"My parents left me some journals about their lives."

"And I'm Sirius Black." said the dark haired man with a flourish.

"Padfoot?"

"That's right pup."

They all sat in silence for a time.

"Mr. Shaklebolt, perhaps we could go to the kitchens and get ourselves some hot chocolate? I do not believe that our presence here is required." asked the headmaster in his grandfatherly way.

Kingsley, on his part, looked unsure.

"I'm not supposed to leave them alone ..."

"I did not suggest you do. Fawkes will remain to watch over Mr. Potter, he has grown rather fond of him over the past school year, and so will Mr. Lupin. Now Mr. Black, I have your word you will not try to abscond with Mr. Potter while we are away?"

The man in question simply rolled his eyes at the headmaster.

Taking that as an affirmative, the headmaster left with the auror.

"So kiddo. Uhm, I guess I should introduce myself properly. I'm Sirius Black. I was like a brother to your dad. My family didn't like me much, at all really, and him and his parents took me in when I ran off from my folks. I was best man at your parents wedding and ..." here the man hesitated for a moment "... they made me your godfather."

Sirius finished and looked to Harry expectantly.

"Well, feels kind of silly doing this but ... I'm Harry Potter and really you know who I am and all. There's nothing much to say. I'm just Harry." Harry finished lamely.

An awkward silence filled the air.

"Ok, I guess I'll have a go at this then." pipped in Remus Lupin. "I'm Remus Lupin. I was a good friend of your father and this miscreant sitting there." he said pointing to Sirius.

"Oy! I resemble that remark." replied Sirius, with fake indignation.

"Come on now Sirius, you and James were the only two male students to ever make it into the girls dormitory. That officially makes you a miscreant and might also qualify you for the title of rabble-rouser."

"And who helped us research the spells to get around the protections?"

"Well, it was either that or let you and James try to fly up the stairs on your brooms. You would have broken your necks."

'They're just like Ron and Hermione.' Harry thought to himself.

"You have no faith in our flying abilities." replied Sirius with a huff.

"Oh no. I had complete faith in your ability to crash." replied Remus with a chuckle.

They quieted down for a time.

"So Harry, how's about you tell us a bit more about yourself? I heard you have a bit of the Marauder streak in you. Sneaking off to Diagon Alley and all that." Sirius asked.

"Well, what do you want to know?" Harry really didn't know where to start. He very rarely spoke about himself.

"Well, I heard that you are an extraordinary flier. How about telling us about Quiditch?" suggested Remus.

So Harry told them all about Quidditch, how he had been selected for the team.

"... so I go to McGonagall's office thinking I'm going to be punished. She invites me in and then tells me 'We are simply waiting for wood to begin.'. And I'm thinking she's waiting for a paddle or a switch or something. Then she offers me tea and I start wondering if she's gone insane. Who offers someone their about to paddle, tea? Eventually someone knocked on the door and Oliver WOOD comes in. I relax a bit thinking I'm not going to get a paddling and she introduces me to Wood. 'Oliver, I would like to introduce you to your new seeker.'. I spat out my tea I was so surprised."

The two adults laughed hard. Sirius's laugh was a strong barking laugh while Remus's was long, deep chuckle.

"I got a tryout the next evening and made the team." Harry had finished the story. He was not very comfortable with talking about himself but this was one of the few things he didn't mind gloating about.

Remus looked to his wristwatch. "Our time here is almost done Harry. Sirius, I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes and then we have to go."

Turning to Harry. "It was nice meeting you Harry. Maybe we'll have a chance to chat again soon?"

"I'd like that Mr. Lupin."

"Please, call me Remus Harry."

With that Remus Lupin left the office leaving Harry alone with his godfather.

"Well kiddo, there are a few things we need to talk about. First I'd like to thank you for getting those solicitors for me. They made things go a lot faster." Here he paused as if gathering his thoughts.

"I already told you how your parents made me your godfather. I'm sorry I failed you, I'm sorry I let my hate for the traitor take me away from Godric's Hollow and from you. Anyways, I'd like to invite you to come live with me."

"Live with you?" asked Harry with surprise.

Apparently Sirius misunderstood the reaction. " I'd understand if you don't want to .."

"When can I move in? Do you have a house?" cut in an ecstatic Harry.

Sirius laughed hard this time and tears were running down his cheeks.

"Yes, I do have a house. It hasn't been lived in in a while so I'll need to fix it up before you can move in. I'd rather not live there since it was my parents house but, well my family was a bit paranoid so it's heavily protected. Albus said we would have to take extra precautions for your safety and privacy. I'm currently living with Moony while we work things out. Now, as to when you can move in well we have a problem there. I was in Azkaban for a long time and most people go insane there so the ministry wants me to go through some therapy and then an evaluation before they allow me to take custody of you. So not this summer but you should be able to come and spend the Christmas holls with me and move in over the next summer."

"And maybe, only if you want of course, maybe you could come and visit me at the Weasleys when I go there for the summer? Mrs. Weasley invited me over for the summer but I have to go back to the Dursleys for a bit."

"I'll ask Molly but I don't think there would be much of a problem."

They sat there for a few more minutes, sipping tea until the others returned.

"As you can see Kingsley, Mr. Black did not kidnap Mr. Potter and he was left almost entirely alone with him." said the headmaster with some humour.

"Sorry Black, just doing my job you know."

"It's alright Kinglsey." Sirius turned back to Harry.

"Well pup, I gotta go. I'll see if we can't arrange a few more visits like this and I'll talk to Molly and see what we can do for the summer. Take care of yourself and try to have some fun alright?"

Harry simply nodded.

Sirius and Remus left for Remus's home while Shaklebolt left for the ministry.

The headmaster sat down around the small table, across from Harry. Fawkes flew over to harry and nipped his hand gently to get Harry to pet him.

"Did you enjoy the visit Mr. Potter?" asked the headmaster.

"It was a bit of a shock. I didn't know what to expect. Why was Mr. Shaklebolt there?"

"The ministry has asked that the first few visits from your godfather be supervised. It's not that they believe he would cause you harm but they are worried for your safety non the less. Sirius appears rather sane but he has episodes sometimes, flashbacks if you will. I have been told that they will pass in time but during these flashbacks he may say or do things that are disturbing and potentially harmful. Also, Sirius has always been somewhat rash and he was not happy with the ministry's decision to withhold his rights as a guardian."

Harry sat there for a few moments thinking this over.

"They're afraid he would take me away?"

"Yes. But I believe that Sirius known that he is not yet ready to take care of a child."

Harry gave the headmaster a rebellious look.

"You still are a child Harry, enjoy it while you can. A time will come when you yearn for the simpler days of your youth a time when it was perfectly acceptable to attack others with pillows."


	30. Chapter 29: End of Year

End of Year.

Winter turned to spring and all remained quiet. Well, as quiet as things can remain in a place like Hogwarts.

Potions remained a pain but only due to the professors constant mental attacks, attacks that were actually serving to strengthen Harry's mental defenses.

Harry exchanged more letters with Ginny. Ginny was doing exceptionally well with the material Harry had been sending her. Her advancement in Occlumency was difficult to judge but her knowledge of Potions and Charms was impressive for someone who had yet to attend a single class.

The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw game had been played out and the red and gold had won that game as well, but only by a small margin. The Ravenclaw players had played a great game and it had, in the end, all come down to Harry catching the snitch. With this victory, Gryffindor was almost guaranteed the house cup as well as the Quidditch cup. Something that had not happened in over seven years.

Harry had just finished his end of year exams and was sitting at his desk in the first year dorm copying documents.

"What you up to mate? Not started your summer homework already have you? I mean school only just ended. You're allowed a bit of time for yourself you know." said Ron as he sat on Harry's bed.

"I'm just planning out a few things for the summer. Do you mind getting Hermione? I have a few things I want to tell you both."

"Sure mate. Be right back."

And with that Ron ran out of the dorm.

Harry had thought long and hard on this and decided that now would be the best time to tell his friends.

Ron returned a few moments later with Hermione in tow.

"What is it Harry? What did you need to tell us?"  
Harry looked around the dorm to insure they were truly alone.

"Hermione do you know a spell to lock the door?"

Hermione looked at Harry strangely but took out her wand and locked the Gryffindor dorm room. _"Colloportus"_

"What's this all about mate?"

"I've been keeping a few things from you."

This statement pulled Ron's and Hermione's attention to Harry quickly.

"Some of the professors use a form of mind magic on the students called Legilimency."

Hermione gasped in surprise while Ron looked clueless.

"They wouldn't Harry! I just know they wouldn't. That is a very serious breach of a persons privacy."

"But how do you prove it Hermione? The only way is to use Veritaserum and the courts don't grant permission for that very often."

Ron, still being clueless interrupted. "Mind letting me know what you two are talking about?"

"Legilimency is a form of mental invasion. Using this spell or talent, a witch or wizard can sift through the mind of his target, drawing forth memories and knowledge. A skilled Legilimens can do it without a wand as long as there is eye contact . It also helps if the target is emotional at the time." explained Hermione.

"And some teachers have been doing this to us without us knowing?" asked as scared Ron.

"But Harry, how could you know. Only a skilled Occlumens, one who can hide his memories and thoughts, can really detect a skilled Legilimens."

'Of course Hermione would point that out.' thought Harry.

"Well I figured it out on our first day here. Of course, at the time I thought it was Snape but really it was Quirell. I felt a stabbing pain in my head when I looked at professor Snape. Just at that time he was staring me right in the eyes. I thought it was a bit strange so I looked it up and figured it was Legilimency so I started studying Occlumency. Then I noticed that professor Snape kept using it on us and the headmaster does it once in a while as well. I had no idea it was Quirell most of the time or rather Voldermort's spirit."

Ron and Hermione gave an involuntary shiver at the Voldermort's name.

"Why did you wait so long to tell us? You've known for almost a year!"

"Isn't it obvious Ron? He couldn't tell us because then professor Snape could have read it from our minds but since we don't have classes until after the summer, we can practice at home and be prepared for next year."

'Can I marry her? She's going to be brilliant one of these days.' interjected Silias.

"Right! So I have notes here on the steps to take. Now this is supposed to be real hard to learn so don't get discouraged if you have trouble at first."

Harry passed Ron and Hermione a copy of the notes he had made for Ginny.

"Now, if you practice these exercises every day during the three weeks I'm not at the Ron's house, you should be ready for the next step by the time I get there. We only have two months to at least get some basic defenses up, it took me most of the school year."

"Right. Practice every day. Got it."

Hermione and Harry looked at Ron a little strangely.

"What? I think I have enough of a motivation to get this stuff fast. I don't like the idea of people reading my mind."

Hermione and Ron were running through the notes while Harry finished packing a few things.

"Harry, I think we should teach Ginny and the Twins as well. Snape doesn't like us at all and I'd rather we were all protected."

"Well, Ginny already started. I sent her those notes a couple of weeks into the year. Go get your brothers and I'll let them know."

"You told Ginny before telling us?" replied an indignant Ron.

"Ron. Of course he told your sister first. She's not at school so he could tell her without risking anything. He needed someone to confide in and it obviously could not be us since we could not protect his secret. Now go get your brothers so we can get this done with, I have more packing to do."

With that Ron got up and went off to search for his brothers.

"Harry, these notes are very good. Where did you get them from?"

"Oh you know, here and there. It's just some things I compiled for Ginny and myself." answered Harry evasively.

Hermione gave him a shrewed look but remained silent.

After a few minutes, Ron and the Twins entered the first year boys dormitory.

"Professor Potter!"

"Tamer of wild unicorns."

"Defeater of dark wizards."

"Conqueror of the Quidditch Pitch."

"You requested our presence?"

No matter how often Harry had witnessed the twins double talk, he was always confused by it.

"Right, yeah. Look. I discovered something at the start of the year."

Harry, with some helpful and very detailed interjections from Hermione, repeated his speech on Legilimency and Occlumency to the Twins.

To say that the Twins were slightly angered by the fact that the professors might be reading their thoughts and memories would be like saying that an elephant was a tab bit on the large size. A stream of expletives, some of them not even in the English language, spewed forth from the Twins like a river of filth for a good three minutes.

"I'm not sure it's physically possible for professor Snape to do that with a cauldron." interjected a somewhat pink faced Hermione. Some of the comments the twins had made were rather sexually explicit.

"George my dear brother."

"Yes Fred o' brother o' mine?"

"I believe we shall master this Occlumency and make Snape regret the day he was spawned."

"I do believe that we shall do so."

Harry handed them a copy of his notes.

"Now, Ginny's already gotten quite ahead in this. I don't know how strong her defenses are but if you get stuck before I get to the Burrow, ask her for help. She's been practicing for months now. In the meantime, avoid Snape at all costs."

"No wonder we never caught Snape with any of our pranks."

"The bloody bastard knew we were about to pull one on him."

The twins thanked Harry and went back to their dorms to continue packing.

Finally it was time for the leaving feast. The great hall was decorated with the colors of the winners of the house cup. This year being Slytherin.

"At least we won the Quidditch Cup. We'll show them next year." whispered Ron to Harry and Hermione as the headmaster stood to make an announcement.

"Another year has come and passed and we find ourselves parting company. For some of us for the last while others for the first. It both sadden and gladdens my hearth, this time of year. To see your young faces filled with joy, to see you all grow and learn to become better than you were. Hopefully, for both those returning and those leaving us for the last time, you will leave these halls this day somewhat wiser than before. A propose a toast to the seventh years leaving us this day to make their way into the world."

The students and teachers lifted their glasses to the seventh years.

"Now, on to the assigning of the house cup. The points, as they currently stand are such. In Fourth place is Hufflepuff with three-hundred and twelve points; in third place is Gryffindor, with three-hundred and fifty two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."

Slytherin table exploded in a sea of sound as the students of the green and silver banged their goblets on the table and cheered for their success.

Harry could see Draco Malfoy smirking at the Hufflepuff students.

"Yes, Yes, well done Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes ..."

"To Mr. Harry Potter, Mr. George Weasley and Mr. Fred Weasley I give forty-five points in total for their help in securing the school from a possessed professor Quirell."

The cheer from Gryffindor was so strong that the Hufflepuffs, who's table was next to Gryffindor had to cover their ears. Percy looked confused and was asking what his joker brothers had done.

Finally, the gold and red table quieted again.

"Second, to Hermione Granger. For a cool and collected use of intellect in face of a dangerous and unknown situation resulting in the rescue of a young child I grant twenty-five points."

Harry looked over to the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy was looking a little worried and shell shocked. If this kept on any longer, Gryffindor would be in the lead.

"Finally, to Ronald Weasley. For courage in face of danger resulting in the rescue of a young child, I also grant twenty-five points."

The students of Gryffindor had been silent, most of them calculating where these points left them in the race for the house cup. They were now in second place with only a thirteen point difference with Slytherin. The students looked on to the headmaster hoping for a few more points but it was not to be.

"Congratulation to Gryffindor for coming in second in the house cup. Who knows, maybe next year the cup will go to the red and gold."

The Gryffindors were discouraged at this. But it was Percy, amazingly enough who spoke up first.

"So we haven't won the house cup. This year is the best year we have had in the past seven years, we won the Quidditch Cup and we were thirteen points away from ..."

"Fourteen." interrupted Hermione.

"Right, fourteen points away from beating Slytherin. All we have to do is work a little harder next year and the cup is ours."

Some of the student's cheered up at this. Percy was right after all, they had won the Quidditch Cup. Something that had not happened in over seven years. Next year would be their year.

Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, Ron had passed with good marks; Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years save for Harry himself. Harry made it a point to hide his results from his friends not wanting to raise any awkward questions. Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life.

And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the

holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express.

Sitting in a compartment with Ron, Hermione, Neville and Fred and George; Harry set to finalize the last of his plans.

"Neville. Your grades were ok but you really could have done better."

Neville became red faced with shame.

"Look, I know I'm useless as a wizard. I don't even know how I passed this year."

Harry interrupted him realizing that his friend had misunderstood.

"That's not what I meant Neville. Your grades could have been better if you were using your own wand. You really need to get a new wand this year."

"I would but my Gran wants me to use my dad's wand. She won't get me another one."

"Then you need to get one yourself. Mr. Ollivander will sell you one if you show up there."

"Where would I get the money? My Gran is careful with what I spend."

Harry took out a handful of Galleons from his trunk.

"Here, consider it a loan. You can pay me back whenever you want. You just really need a new wand."

"I can't take that! That's a lot of money!"

"Look I have more than enough and it's just a loan. I expect you to pay me back."

Finally Neville nodded to Harry in acceptance and took the Galleons.

Harry took a deep breath and turned to Ron. Before he could even say anything Ron started talking.

"No!"

"Ron, your wand is like Neville's. The only difference is that you have more confidence than he does and you have Hermione and me to help you."

"So I'm stupid now?"

Neville ducked his head low, his face and ears turning crimson.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley! How dare you say something so insensitive."

"Ron! When have I ever called Neville or you stupid? I mean that you're both the same because your using wands that didn't choose you."

Ron looked up to Neville.

"Sorry mate. I don't think your stupid."

Neville simply sat there and shrugged his shoulders.

"So, you'll take the money? And you'll take some for your sister as well?" asked Harry.

"If he doesn't take the money for Ginny, we will." said one of the Twins.

"And we'll pay you back ourselves." finished the other.

Harry passed the money to the Twins.

"What about you Ron? Will you get yourself a new wand?"

"Ron. This is important. Your grades will determine your future. Like Harry said, it's just a loan." added Hermione.

Ron simply put out his hand and accepted the gold, his face red with embarrassment.

They continued in silence for a short time.

"I have one last thing to tell you guys."

Everyone looked up to Harry again eying him with interest.

"The Ministry of Magic only monitors muggleborns and muggleraised children and major areas like Diagon Alley, shopping malls and the likes for underage magic. They have magical sensors in these places to watch for underage magic. This means that you purebloods can practice magic all you want, as long as your parents don't catch you. Now, from what Ginny tells me, the Burrow is safe but I'm not sure about your home Neville so if you try some magic be ready for a warning."

The people who did not already know this information seemed quite impressed.

"How do you know Harry?" asked Neville.

"My father was an Auror and my mom was an Unspeakable. They left a trunk with journals and all kinds of information for me in case the war against Voldemort went bad."

All the students shivered at the mention of Voldemort's name.

"Now I have to admit that the information is really old but if it's true, you can all practice over the summer. Well everyone except Hermione."

"How are you going to practice Harry?" asked Hermione.

'I swear it's like she's a bloodhound or something. If only I was corporeal and she was about twenty.' whispered Silias.

Harry gave an involuntary shiver. That was something he would rather not think about.

Harry turned to the twins.

"Remember my trunk?"

"Yeah the one with the huge cave?"

"Right. Do you remember what I said about it?"

"Something about it being Dimensionally Transcendental or something?"

Hermione interrupted. "It's a pocket dimension so it's not in Britain and so not under the laws of the ministry."

"More or less. When the lid is closed, the gateway to our dimension closes so the sensor won't be able to pickup on anything I do in there. I'll fix it up into a room and practice magic there."

"Brilliant!" exclaimed the twins in unison.

"I'd appreciate it if you all kept this to yourselves. I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to know this and we could get into real trouble because of this. I don't want you guys telling anyone not Lee, not Seamus, not Dean. No one."

Everyone agreed that it would be in their best interest to keep this quiet.

Finally the train arrived at Kings Cross station and the students disembarked.

"Hermione. You have to come over to the Burrow this summer. I'll get mum to owl your parents. Harry's coming to spend most of the summer with us. Heck, mum would take him home right now but him and Dumbledore say he has to go back to the Muggles for a bit."

"Trust me Ron. There's a good reason. Also, Dumbledore said he needed to set up some wards on your house while I was there. So that gives him time."

They crossed the gateway back to the muggle part of Kings Cross. On the other side were two redheaded women waiting for them.

There he is, Mom, there he is, look!"

It was Ginny Weasley, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.

"Harry!" she squealed and rushed towards him giving Harry a hug.

Harry just stood there again, not knowing how to react.

Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them.

"Busy year?" she said.

Ginny disentangled herself from Harry and gave Ron a huge hug as well.

"Very," said Harry after recovering from the hug. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh, it was nothing, dear."

"Ready, are you?"

It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still mustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry.

"You must be Harry's family!" said Mrs. Weasley.

"In a manner of speaking," said Uncle Vernon. "Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day." He walked away.

Harry hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione.

"See you over the summer, then."

"Hope you have -- er -- a good holiday," said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.

"Oh, I will," said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer..."


End file.
